On a lighter Week 1 slate, the Carolina Bowl stands as one the best matchups of the weekend, pitting the North Carolina Tarheels against the South Carolina Gamecocks in a rematch of the 2021 Duke’s Bowl.
It’s one of the best quarterback matchups of the week, and one many have as the tightest game of the week. College Football Network has you covered with a full breakdown and North Carolina vs. South Carolina prediction.
North Carolina vs. South Carolina Betting and DFS Preview
- Spread
North Carolina (-2.5) - Moneyline
North Carolina (-145); South Carolina (+115) - Over/Under
64.5 Total Points - Game Time
6:30 p.m. ET - Location
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC - Predicted Weather at Kick
79 degrees, clear, 3-6 mph winds - How to Watch:
FuboTV, ABC
Looking to bet on the game? Use our widget below to easily place your bet if it is legal in your state.
Top DFS and Fantasy Plays
All values below come from FanDuel’s multi-team entries for the weekend. Looking to sign up for FanDuel? New customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Click here for more details.
Looking for each team’s depth chart? Click the appropriate link to view.
North Carolina Depth Chart | South Carolina Depth Chart
- QB Drake Maye, North Carolina ($11,200)
- QB Spencer Rattler, South Carolina ($8,700)
- RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina ($7,300)
- RB Elijah Green, North Carolina ($6,900)
- RB Dakereon Joyner, South Carolina ($6,400)
- RB Juju McDwoell, South Carolina ($6,100)
- RB British Brooks, North Carolina ($5,500)
- RB Caleb Hood, North Carolina ($5,200)
- WR Antwane Wells Jr., South Carolina ($8,700)
- WR Tez Walker, North Carolina ($8,800) — Doubtful
- WR JJ Jones, North Carolina ($7,100)
- WR Nate McCollum, North Carolina ($6,900)
- WR Kobe Paysour, North Carolina ($6,800)
- WR Ahmarean Brown, South Carolina ($6,200)
- WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina ($6,100)
- TE Trey Know, South Carolina ($5,700)
- TE John Copenhaver, North Carolina ($5,300)
- TE Josh Simon, South Carolina ($5,200)
This game has the potential to be a shootout, and you should play at least a couple of players in this game to take advantage of that fact. This is going to be a quarterback battle, but there’s running back value to be found as well.
Starting there, the pricing is off from what North Carolina’s depth chart says and the reports coming out of Chapel Hill. British Brooks missed all of last season but was slated to be the primary guy before he went down. Now healthy, he beat out Hampton and Green for the primary spot in the backfield. He’s tough to bring down, and South Carolina’s run defense was atrocious last season.
The Gamecocks have upgraded at linebacker, but there will be growing pains, as they’re quite inexperienced at the position. Brooks represents a great value here.
On the other side, quarterback-turned-receiver-turned-running back Dakereon Joyner makes his first start in the backfield. He carved up North Carolina as a runner and passer two years ago when these teams met in December. Reports from beat reporters, analysts, and people inside the program indicate that running back is Joyner’s best position, and there’s a sense of frustration within the program that it took five years to realize that.
Joyner could have a huge day. It’s a slightly riskier play but one that could really pay off for you.
Both quarterbacks should have huge games, and I don’t see much to separate them in terms of fantasy potential. If you need the extra cash, saving $1,500 to play Rattler seems like a decent idea.
At receiver, everything goes through Juice Wells for South Carolina. He’s battled an ankle/foot injury this offseason but is in the best shape of his life and should get double-digit touches. Reports are that the South Carolina offense is going to be excellent this year. Take advantage of that and play a couple of Gamecocks.
Lastly, for South Carolina, Josh Simon is THE red zone guy. Paying $5,000 for a guy who should get multiple red-zone targets isn’t bad.
For North Carolina, it sounds like Kobe Paysour will be the guy who replaces Josh Downs. At only $6,800, he’s a steal—especially if Tez Walker remains ineligible.
Prediction for North Carolina vs. South Carolina
This is the toughest game of the week to handicap. There should be a lot of points, but which team scores them is up in the air. Either way, this game could end up 42-21, or it could (and likely will be) much closer.
Rattler was the quarterback who made more mistakes last season, but the South Carolina defense has a slight advantage over the Tar Heels, especially when it comes to forcing turnovers. The running game may be the key here. If South Carolina can be slightly better against the run, it has the secondary to force Maye into tight windows in obvious passing situations.
That’s a huge task for the South Carolina defense, though.
South Carolina’s offense line is another question mark. Reports are that there’s more competition this year, and the interior should be fairly stout. However, competition or not, no one has really grabbed hold of either tackle position, and Kaimon Rucker and Desmond Evans could cause issues for Rattler, who struggled mightily against pressure last season.
If South Carolina keeps him clean, Rattler will take over completely. If you’re a South Carolina fan, that’s what you’re hoping for, and if the Gamecocks stay on schedule, new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains will have a bunch of new fans.
Ultimately, this could come down to one play, and as is the case with a bunch of South Carolina games, that could happen on special teams. The coaching staff feels better about its return game than it ever has, and the Gamecocks led the country in blocked punts last year.
Kai Kroeger is a Ray Guy finalist and could probably be a Heisman contender (jokingly) at quarterback, boasting the highest passer rating in the history of college football out of anyone who has ever attempted five or more passes.
This could come down to a single big play on defense or special teams to turn the tide. In that regard, South Carolina has a slight advantage on defense and a significant edge on special teams.
This is on my “no bet” list due to the volatility in the range of outcomes, but if you want a piece of the action, lean South Carolina and the under, simply because the teams may slow the game down and run the ball a bit more to protect their defenses.
Prediction
South Carolina 34, North Carolina 30