The No. 23-ranked North Carolina Wolfpack take the field on Friday to take on the Maryland Terrapins in the Mayo Bowl. The former ACC rivals are familiar and have a 33-33-4 record in their last 70 meetings.
The most recent game between the two was Maryland’s 41-21 victory in 2013.
With such a great matchup on tap, I wanted to search for a few of the best prop bets for the 2022 Mayo Bowl.
Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.
- First Score of the Game
- Game Total Points Range
First Score of the Game
In three of the Wolfpacks’ previous five games, their first score was a field goal by placekicker Christopher Dunn. While it’s an oft-overlooked area, kicking is vital in college because so many programs have bad kickers.
The Wolfpack is not one of those teams, as Dunn is among the top 20 in field goal percentage (96%) and longest field goal (53 yards). He’s also yet to miss an extra point. Dunn is 24-for-25 on field goals and 14-for-14 inside the 40-yard line.
While the Wolfpack does have a potent offense, they may need help with a strong Maryland defense in the red zone. Opponents score a very reasonable 80.85% of the time against Maryland inside the red zone. NC State is decent on offense in this area, but at 85.29%, things could be better.
- Pick: NC State FG (+425) OR Field Goal (+170)
Game Total Points Range
In my full betting preview of the Mayo Bowl, I concluded that my best bet was for this game to go Under 46 points. However, while I believe this outcome will happen, I also admit that I think it will be close.
Therefore, I wanted to double down and add a ton of value to the research I’ve already done. Betting the total under pays out -110, but at +250, trying to pin down the exact range is far more profitable.
Considering I believe the game will go under, but just barely, it should eclipse 41 points and cash this ticket.
- Pick: 41-50 (+250)
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
