North Carolina vs. Syracuse Prediction & Odds: College Football Week 10 Betting Preview

Between Halloween and the World Series, only the sickest of sickos will be spending Friday night watching Bill Belichick try to win a Power Four football game, and I'm one of them. My North Carolina vs. Syracuse prediction doesn't expect him to come through on the road against a team that's going to be looking festive in its threads. 

The Orange are a 2.5-point betting favorite at home for Friday's 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) kick from JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. In what should be a spooky game for Over bettors, my college football Week 10 predictions expect far more tricks than treats in this ACC matchup.

📊 North Carolina vs. Syracuse odds: Week 10

See the latest college football odds for every game in Week 10.

✅ North Carolina vs. Syracuse expert picks

See our experts' college football picks for every Week 10 game.

🏈 North Carolina vs. Syracuse preview & score prediction

It can't get much scarier for Belichick and the Tar Heels, can it? When Pablo Torre isn't exposing the mismanagement of North Carolina's football program under Belichick and Michael Lombardi (and Jordon Hudson?), the Heels have been losing in terrifying fashion.

Though UNC has dressed up in costume as a competitive team in its last two games, losing by a combined four points to Virginia and Cal, the offense remains a massive problem - the Heels lost to Cal by fumbling through the end zone and to Virginia by being stopped on the goal line on a 2-point attempt. That's why the Under is the better bet here than playing the spread, though I do lean Syracuse covering at home.

👻 Ghostly offenses

Neither of these teams is proficient at scoring, with both North Carolina and Syracuse's offense essentially ghosting their defensive head coaches all season. Both teams are worse at carving up defenses than your uncle is at carving a jack-o-lantern after a few too many cups of his "famous" spiked pumpkin spice hot chocolate.

The Orange have been horrifying on offense since losing starting QB Steve Angeli for the season. Fran Brown's squad is putting up just 12.5 points per game in backup Rickie Collins' four starts. Collins had his best showing last week against Georgia Tech, and the Cuse still scored just 16 points - the bar was low after he threw six interceptions in the two games before that. It won't be easier against a UNC defense that's No. 25 in EPA per rush and allowing just 23.9 PPG.

Meanwhile, UNC's offense has looked like the person at the yearly Halloween party who waited until the last minute to run to Spirit Halloween to throw something together. UNC is last in the ACC in yards per game (279.9) and averaging 13.4 PPG against P4 teams. The Heels have hit the Under in five of their last six, and if they do again, a $10 bet pays a $9.09 profit.

✅ Score prediction: Syracuse 20, North Carolina 17

🆚 Key matchup to watch

Johntay Cook vs. North Carolina secondary

Both of these offenses have struggled, but North Carolina's is among the worst in the country, with just 34 explosive plays and ranks 132nd in explosives per game (4.86). So I'm taking Johntay Cook to startle the Tar Heels' secondary with his frightening speed.

Cook, a former top 100 recruit, has found a home in Syracuse's shade of orange after beginning his career at Texas. He's top 10 in the ACC in receiving yards (501) and has gone Over 54.5 in four of his last five games, including three with Collins at QB.

If Cook goes for 55-plus receiving yards against UNC, a $10 bet pays an $8.77 profit.

✅ Best player prop bet: Johntay Cook Over 54.5 receiving yards (-114 via FanDuel)

📈 North Carolina vs. Syracuse betting trends

🌤️ North Carolina vs. Syracuse weather

This game will be played indoors at JMA Wireless Dome, so the weather won't be a factor for North Carolina vs. Syracuse.

📺 How to watch North Carolina vs. Syracuse

• Date: Friday, Oct. 31
• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: JMA Wireless Dome (Syracuse, N.Y.)
• TV: ESPN