Pitt has been one of the nicest surprises of the season. It battled through two tough wins over Big 12 teams beating Cincinnati and West Virginia, and now the ACC slate kicks in.
With a very, very favorable slate ahead - four home games in the next five - there’s a chance for the Panthers to go on a run.
North Carolina’s defense collapsed against James Madison, and then melted down in the tough 21-20 loss at Duke. The slide needs to stop here or any realistic hope of being the ACC title chase might be gone.
Sep 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Youngstown State Penguins during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium
© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pitt vs North Carolina Preview
Pitt vs North Carolina How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
Venue: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
How to Watch: ESPN2
North Carolina (3-2), Pitt (4-0)
- Week 6 Schedule, Predictions
- 5 Biggest College Football Surprises
- 5 Biggest Disappointments
- Bowl Projections | CFN 1-134 Rankings
- College Football Playoff Projections: Week 6
Predicting the Rest of the Season
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC
Why Pitt Will Win
Hope the offense is rested and ready, because it’s about to do a ton of work.
North Carolina’s defense has gone bye-bye.
As good as it looked in the opener against Minnesota, it stopped in the win over Charlotte and crashed over the last two weeks.
Pitt’s passing attack has hit 300 yards in each of the first four weeks, it got a tune-up against Youngstown State two weeks ago, time off, and now everyone should be fresh.
Not only is North Carolina struggling defensively - in key moments and overall - but it’s screwing up with penalties, the passing game hasn’t been consistent enough, and it’s all a problem if Pitt’s O starts to go early.
Why North Carolina Will Win
It had Duke in trouble and couldn’t close.
Yeah, the defense is struggling, but the James Madison game appears to be a wee bit of an outlier, and for all of the issues, coming up with third down stops strangely hasn’t been a problem.
The Tar Heels pass rush isn’t bad, the ground game is solid, and Pitt will have its down moments. As good as the offense has been, the pass protection is a negative. In a game like this that should be a back-and-forth shootout, holding serve will matter.
Pitt vs North Carolina: Who Will Win
Get ready for a whole lot of offense.
Pitt will be a bit sharper, more consistent, and stronger overall, but North Carolina will have its moments.
There will be plenty of big plays and tons of deep shots with plenty of wild mood swings. Once again, though, the Tar Heels will buckle late.
Pitt vs North Carolina Prediction, Betting Lines
Pitt 34, North Carolina 31
Line: Pitt -2.5, o/u: 64.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Pitt vs North Carolina Must See Rating: 3
Week 6 CFN Expert Picks
Houston at TCU | Michigan St at Oregon
Syracuse at UNLV | UCLA at Penn State
Missouri at Texas A&M | SMU at Louisville
Iowa at Ohio State | Auburn at Georgia
Ole Miss at So Carolina | Rutgers at Neb
Clemson at Florida St | Tenn at Arkansas
Michigan at Washington | Miami at Cal
Texas Tech at Arizona
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