Two seasons ago, North Carolina football seemed to be building towards national relevance. Last season the Tar Heels were even a trendy pick to potentially contend for a College Football Playoff appearance or at the very least contend for the ACC title. Having fallen far short of that, the Tar Heels are looking to have a bounce-back season in 2022.
Most of the biggest NC sportsbooks have North Carolina Tar Heels odds for season wins total between 6.5 and 7.5. This is a fairly volatile total given the Tar Heels won six games last season, especially considering they will be breaking in a new QB for only the second time under head coach Mack Brown.
UNC Tar Heels Futures Odds 2022
| Sportsbook | 2022 Season Wins Total | ACC Championship Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Caesars NC | Over 7.5 (-105) Under 7.5 (-125) | +1600 |
| FanDuel NC | Over 6.5 (-160) Under 6.5 (+135) | +2500 |
| DraftKings NC | Over 7.5 (+105) Under 7.5 (-125) | +1500 |
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UNC Tar Heels 2022 Schedule
Aug. 27: Vs. Florida A&M
Sept. 3: At Appalachian State
Sept 10: At Georgia State
Sept. 24: Vs. Notre Dame
Oct. 1: Vs. Virginia Tech
Oct. 8: At Miami
Oct. 15: At Duke
Oct. 29: Vs. Pittsburgh
Nov. 5: At Virginia
Nov. 12: At Wake Forest
Nov. 19: Vs. Georgia Tech
Nov. 25: Vs. North Carolina State
Tar Heels 2022 Outlook
The entire Brown Era 2.0 has been focused on one quarterback in Sam Howell. At certain points in time, NFL draft online betting has Howell being the No. 1 overall pick. Howell never lived up to those expectations, though. The talent for Howell was always there, but the five-star recruit never lived up to it at North Carolina.
Coming into this season, the quarterback battle is on, with two young and promising options in Drake Maye and Jacoby Criswell. The two quarterbacks also have a talented receiving core with the return of the team’s top two receiving options, Josh Downs and Antoine Green.
Yet the quarterback spot will be crucial in Downs and Green repeating last year’s receiving success. Criswell and Maye had 31 pass attempts from last season between them. Whoever becomes the starter is likely to surpass all of last season’s passing attempts in their first game.
Many are expecting significant improvements defensively, especially with the addition of a former national championship head coach Gene Chizik to the defensive coaching staff. To add to the potentially improved defense, they brought in several instant impact transfers that, at a minimum, will help with depth.
To wrap up the Tar Heels’ improvements, they hired a new offensive line coach in 34-year coaching veteran Jack Bicknell Jr. Coupled with two potential starters brought in from the transfer portal. The offensive line is hoping to protect the quarterback much better after giving up more than 50 sacks last season.
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Betting Recommendation
With the upgrades to both sides of the ball, some new life in the coaching staff, and a lot of winnable games, it is not hard to see the Tar Heels making big improvements. Yet while their potential ceiling is high with an unproven quarterback, the floor is also low. It would not be shocking to see the Tar Heels win 10 games, but the same could be said for only winning three or four.
If you are looking to bet the over, FanDuel is the best spot as they have North Carolina at 6.5 wins for the over-under. In contrast, if betting the under, go with Caesars North Carolina Sportsbook, which has the Tar Heels’ wins total set at 7.5. DraftKings does as well, and the price is -125 at both sportsbooks.
If you are high on the Tar Heels and can see them shocking the ACC by winning it. FanDuel is overwhelmingly the best place to make that bet with odds of +2500 — twice as long as Caesars and DraftKings.
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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