The Citadel at North Carolina Odds, Betting Pick & TV Info

Posted by Michael Hunt on Thursday,November 17, 2016 8:18, EDT in

Hard to imagine the University of North Carolina having much motivation on Saturday as the Heels go out of conference to face FCS school The Citadel. The Heels likely will be more looking ahead to next week’s regular-season finale vs. NC State. UNC isn’t as big a favorite on college football odds as you might think this week.

The Citadel at North Carolina Odds, Betting Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Nov. 19, 3:30 PM ET
Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill
TV: ACC Extra
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: The Citadel / North Carolina
Opening NCAA Football Lines: UNC -21.5 (58.5)

Why Bet on The Citadel?

This is a good FCS team. The Bulldogs are one of two remaining undefeated FCS teams and one of only four unbeaten teams in all of Division I. The Citadel leads all of Division I in rushing yards per game, averaging 359.9 yards on the ground, and in fewest sacks allowed with one.

The 5th-ranked Citadel football team finished a perfect 8-0 in the Southern Conference with a 30-20 win over VMI last Saturday. Dominique Allen finished the game with a career-high 133 passing yards and added 113 rushing yards for his third 100-yard game of the season and fifth of his career for the Bulldogs. Rudder Brown’s 86 receiving yards were a career-best, and Joe Crochet’s 3.0 tackles for loss are a single-game career-high.

The Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0 SoCon) tied the Southern Conference single-season record with eight wins, becoming only the seventh team in conference history to win eight SoCon games and the first since Appalachian State in 2009, and completed a perfect run in conference play for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs also have earned the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, marking the first time in program history the team has made back-to- back playoff appearances. Brent Thompson has broken The Citadel’s record for most wins by a first-year head coach and is one victory behind the single-season program record.

The Bulldogs have only allowed 36 points in the 4th quarter this season, the lowest total in the Southern Conference. The Citadel is ranked in the top 5 in five straight weeks for the first time and has been ranked for 17 straight weeks, the longest streak in program history.

Why Bet on North Carolina?

The Tar Heels (7-3) still could play in the ACC title game if Virginia Tech trips up. However, UNC comes off a 28-27 upset loss to Duke last Thursday to snap a three-game winning streak. Duke was flirting with its first winless league record since 2007 after a tight loss at No. 6 Louisville and a pair of three-point losses to Georgia Tech and No. 14 Virginia Tech.

Against UNC, Duke finished with 227 yards rushing and converted 10 of 17 third-down chances. The Blue Devils locked down the Tar Heels’ high-scoring offense, which finished with just 31 yards in the final 15 minutes. QB Mitch Trubisky completed 12 of his first 15 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns, but threw for just 97 yards on 12-for- 18 passing with two interceptions from there. The Tar Heels came into this game with nine straight wins on an opponent’s home field, tied with No. 2 Clemson for third longest in the nation.

Trubisky, a candidate for all the major quarterback awards, is fourth in the nation in completion percentage (70.6), sixth in total completions (247), 10th in pass efficiency rating (161.12), 10th in total yards (3,004), 12th in passing yards per game (300.4) and 16th in TD passes (22). He is fourth in the ACC and 16th in the country with 316.4 total yards of offense per game.

After facing 279 pass attempts over 10 games this season, the Tar Heels are still seeking their first interception of the season. NCAA official Jeff Williams said he couldn’t find any record of an FBS team finishing a season without an interception since 1989. While the Tar Heels are looking for their first, every other FBS team has at least three interceptions this season.

Carolina has won all four previous meetings with The Citadel. The most recent matchup came in 2009. The two programs also met in 1915, 1939 and 1986. Carolina has won 12 straight over FCS competition. UNC’s last loss to an FCS team came in 1999 vs. Furman.

The Citadel at North Carolina Betting Pick:

Take the points here on college football odds as UNC won’t care much. Go over the total.