North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Miami Hurricanes Betting Odds, Football Pick

The North Carolina Tar Heels will try to stay undefeated on the road this season when they travel to Miami on Saturday afternoon to battle the Hurricanes.

The Tar Heels were held to single digits for the first time in two years in last week's 34-3 loss to Virginia Tech as three-point home underdogs. However, UNC has played some of its best ball on the road, including a 37-35 Week 5 win at Florida State as a 10.5-point underdog, and is 6-1 straight up and 5-2 against the spread in its past seven away games.

Miami blew a 13-0 first-half lead in last week's 20-19 loss to the Seminoles as 1.5-point home chalk, spoiling its previously unblemished SU and ATS record this season. The Hurricanes, though, were dominant in a pair of early-season wins, allowing just 13 total points while covering massive spreads against Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic.

Point spread: The Hurricanes opened as seven-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, per the Odds Shark computer: 40.5-27.3 Hurricanes (College football picks on every game)

Why the Tar Heels can cover the spread

Despite last week's struggles against the Hokies, UNC remains one of the best offensive squads in the ACC, averaging 44.5 points over its previous four games, all SU wins. Young quarterback Mitch Trubisky has thrown for over 400 yards on three occasions this season and must bounce back from last week's soggy 58-yard performance through the air.

The UNC pass defense has held opposing pivots to just 197.5 yards per game and could cause headaches for Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya, who is nursing a shoulder injury.

Why the Hurricanes can cover the spread

Last week's loss to the Seminoles ended the Hurricanes' four-game SU home winning streak, during which they allowed just 13.5 points per game. With the status of Kaaya in question, Miami must recapture some of the early-season explosiveness of its running game, which has accounted for 15 total touchdowns this season.

Effectively containing UNC's 116th-ranked running game takes away options from Trubisky, whose toughness was put to the test in last week's brutal loss.

Smart pick

The home team has won by wide margins in the past two meetings between these two teams. However, Miami is just 2-2 SU in its past four home dates with North Carolina.

The health and availability of Kaaya could impact the Hurricanes' fortunes, particularly ATS and especially against a Tar Heels offense with a demonstrated ability to score points. Look for Miami to pick up the outright win but fail to cover the spread.

Betting trends

The visiting team is 0-4 ATS in its last four games in this matchup.

Miami is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after a loss.

North Carolina is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games against its conference.

All college football betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.