North Carolina State vs. Miami Week 8 Picks: Hurricanes Face Storm

North Carolina State runs into a struggling Hurricanes team for its college football Week 8 matchup. Find out if we like the Wolfpack to improve to 6-1 in our NC State and Miami picks.

The Miami Hurricanes have lost their last two games to North Carolina and Virginia by a combined five points. As heartbreaking as those losses are, the part that is difficult to accept for Miami fans is the lack of defense. Manny Diaz is supposed to be one of the best defensive coaches in the nation but there are no signs of that with this team.

As for the North Carolina State Wolfpack, they are currently ranked No. 18 in the nation with a 5-1 record. They are led by one of the country's best defenses and also have a very good offense. Can NC State pick up a win here and keep the pressure on Wake Forest or will Miami finally play up to their potential?

Here are my picks and predictions for the college football Week 8 matchup between NC State and Miami (odds via Caesars Sportsbook).

NC State vs. Miami Game Info

Date/Time: Saturday October 23, 7:30 p.m. ETTV: ESPN2Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FLWeather: 81 degrees, 77 percent chance of precipitation

NC State vs. Miami A&M Odds Analysis

This line opened up at NC State -2 and was quickly steamed up to -3.5. That line was available for about 24 hours before it settled at -3, which is where it sits now.

There has been a lot of movement on this total, with it opening at 52 before moving to 52.5 and then up to 53. It has since been bet down all the way back to 51.5 which is the number that is available at most of the top sportsbooks.

NC State vs. Miami Betting Picks

NC State -3 (-110)Under 51.5 (-110)

SEE ALSO: College Football Week 8 Power Rankings

NC State vs. Miami Betting Predictions

NC State -3 (-110)

Everything that could go wrong did in North Carolina State's only loss of the season against Mississippi State. In that game, Mississippi State returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead just 13 seconds into the game. Then later on in the quarter, NC State threw an interception on third and goal with a chance to tie things up. They ended up turning the ball over three times in the game and still only gave up 24 total points.

NC State is a top-10 defense in the country and its offense is top 30. Their balance on both sides of the ball will be a problem that Miami will not be able to solve.

The things that Miami does well on offense will be relatively easy for NC State to stop, which is why I'm laying the points with them for this college football Week 8 matchup.

Under 51.5 (-110)

One of the main reasons Diaz is on the hot seat at Miami is his team's defense. Before he was named head coach, he was the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes back when they had a top-five defense in the country. They aren't even in the top 100 right now by any metric, and Diaz has made some very strange decisions that have not been well received by his players.

The Wolfpack, meanwhile, have allowed a stingy 72 points on the season. It's hard to imagine them letting Miami get into any kind of offensive rhythm while on offense. Miami relies heavily on the run game which is not a recipe for beating this NC State team.

Things will go from bad to worse for the Hurricanes, and losses like this are why Diaz likely won't be back in Miami after the end of this season.

SEE ALSO: College Football Week 8 Betting Trends

Picks made on 10/21/2021 at 9:00 a.m. ET.