CFN prediction Gamecocks vs. Tar Heels matchup
August 27, 2023
South Carolina vs North Carolina Prediction How To Watch
Date: Sunday, September 3Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
How To Watch: ABC
2022 Record: South Carolina (8-5), North Carolina (9-5)
- South Carolina 2023 Team Preview
- North Carolina 2023 Team Preview
Why South Carolina Will Win
You know that defense thing the kids are all into now - with the tackling, and the hitting, and the keeping other teams from scoring lots and lots of points? Yeah, that's not North Carolina's thing.To be fair, that was the 2022 team - there’s literally no D in North Carolina - with no pass rush, the most yards allowed per game in the ACC, and with a secondary that got rocked for 271 yards per game. This group should be better, but it has to prove it first.
Again with the fairness, the problems in the secondary were partly because opposing offenses had to bomb away to keep up the pace, partly because there wasn’t much help from the pass rush, and partly because North Carolina was just that last-in-the-conference-in-total-and-scoring-defense bad.
That’s where Spencer Rattler and the South Carolina passing game come in.
The Gamecocks have to be far more consistent, and a few key parts from last year’s great attack are done, and the line has to give 7 more time to unleash the cannon and hit the downfield throws. However, when the thing clicked like it did to screw up both Tennessee and Clemson in the College Football Playoff race, forget it.
Now it’s up to North Carolina to go from zero to awesome against this attack, but …
- CFN Preview 2023: 133 Team Previews
Why North Carolina Will Win
All the Tar Heel defense has to do is come up with a few huge plays.South Carolina might have moved the offense at times, but it also had a ton of problems with turnovers - 27 of them - and just a few might be enough for the revamped Tar Heel D to do a lot of bending without breaking.
If the defense can be anything but not awful, QB Drake Maye and the offense should be able to rock and roll against a Gamecock defense that has to prove it has a pass rush.
Maye doesn’t need much to produce, and now it’s up to the line to keep him from getting popped like he was throughout the season.
On the plus side, the receiving corps will be devastating, the D really should be just a wee bit better, and if South Carolina wants to make this a shootout, that’s in North Carolina’s comfort zone.
If this comes down to which future pro starting quarterback will blink, Rattler will likely make the bad play before Maye will.
South Carolina vs North Carolina Who Will Win
Oh will this be fun.Lots of points, two elite quarterbacks, lots of yards, lots of big plays, two defenses desperate to show that they’re worthy of NIL money, too - these two should trade punches for a full 60 minutes in what might be the best and craziest offensive game of Week 1.
At least that’s the hope.
Can the North Carolina offensive line hold up enough to let Maye dominate? Yes, but Rattler and the South Carolina passing attack will come up with that one late drive - and the other side that one late stop - to pull this out in a back-and-forth thriller.
- Week 1 Schedule, Previews, Predictions
South Carolina vs North Carolina Prediction, Line
South Carolina 38, North Carolina 34Line: North Carolina -2.5, o/u: 62.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
South Carolina vs North Carolina Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
- South Carolina vs North Carolina Experts Pick