Bank of America Stadium usually is home to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday’s but this Saturday at 7:30 ET, the Duke’s Mayo Classic will take over and host South Carolina as they take on North Carolina. The Tar Heels are listed as a -2.5 point favorite on Fanduel with the over-under being set at 64.5 points.
North Carolina vs. South Carolina: Week 1 Lines, Preview & Predictions
Drake Maye leads the Tar Heels into this game as a preseason Heisman candidate with his odds being listed on Fanduel at +1800. The Tar Heels are coming off a 9-win season where they lost to Clemson in the ACC Championship game.
Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks had a troubling start to last season but finished strong with wins over Tennessee and Clemson. The offense hopes to be much more efficient this season under new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
North Carolina has a fair amount of production to replace at the wide receiver position with the loss of Josh Downs to the NFL. They thought they had the answer with transfer Devontez Walker, but they were blindsided with a denial of the eligibility waiver.
South Carolina got some good news on the offensive front with the clearance of Juice Wells, who is one of the SEC’s top wide receivers entering this season, to play Saturday. Trey Knox and Nyckoles Harbor are also cleared to play after missing practice as well.
All that being said, this game may come down to who can get a stop. North Carolina’s defense is definitely a step behind the Gamecocks. With that in mind, I would take the Gamecocks to win, and head coach Shane Beamer would receive his second mayo bath from the Duke’s Mayo Game.
Betting odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.