Georgia Bulldogs vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NCAA Football Week One Betting Preview – September 3, 2016

Georgia Bulldogs vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview

Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

When: Saturday, September 3, 5:30 PM ET

Line: Georgia Bulldogs (-3) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (+3); total: 56.0 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

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Betting on the Georgia Bulldogs (-3)

It’s the beginning of a new era for the No. 18 Bulldogs, who are hoping to immediately notch win No. 1 for their new head coach in Kirby Smart in this Saturday’s season-opening game versus the 22nd-ranked Tar Heels.

Georgia’s success here will heavily depend on its two leading rushers: Nick Chubb and Sonny Michel. The former, who has been cleared to play in the opener after suffering a devastating knee injury last October, is the heart and soul of Georgia’s running game. Chubb finished with 747 yards on 92 carries before the aforementioned injury last season. He’s also priced at +2,500 to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.

Michel, meanwhile, is still hoping to get the go-signal for this weekend’s season opener. He broke his arm last month, but has begun participating in practice drills for the past few days. The 21-year-old was the Bulldogs’ No. 1 running back last season, rumbling for a team-leading 1,161 yards along with eight scores under his belt. He and Chubb, if completely healthy, could potentially take Georgia, which averaged 192.2 rushing yards per game last season, to the top of the SEC East.

The quarterback position, however, remains a question mark for the Bulldogs. They have yet to designate either freshman Jacob Eason or senior Greyson Lambert as the starter. But whoever does get the starting gig on Saturday is in for a grueling task of breaking through a stout UNC defense.

Georgia is attractively priced at +2,500 to become national champions this year.

Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (+3)

Another promising or even better year could be in store for the Tar Heels, who are looking to build on their terrific 2015 campaign. Yes, the program lost a number of key names during the offseason, but even so, head coach Larry Federo’s boys won’t be pushed around. In fact, they still have the vital pieces to beat any team and that definitely includes their season-opener opponents—the No. 18 Bulldogs.

Mitch Trubisky takes over the graduated Marquise Williams as the club’s new starting quarterback. The former converted 85.1 percent of his passes and had six touchdowns, while mostly coming off the bench last year. He’s set to control an offense that led the nation in yards per play (7.28) and averaged above 40 points per game a season ago.

Speaking of points, the No. 22 Tar Heels should be able to get some from both their passing and rushing game. Running backs Elijah Wood and T.J Logan are arguably one of the best tandems on the ground right now, while senior wide receivers in Mack Hollins, Bug Howard and Ryan Switzer provide Trubisky a number of reliable targets to pass to.

UNC is 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in its past 10 games overall. The reigning Coastal division champs are also priced at +15,000 to win the national title.

Writer’s Prediction

Georgia is almost unstoppable on the ground and that should be the case again versus the Tar Heels, who were terrible against the run last season. The Bulldogs win and cover the -3 spread.

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