ACC Predictions: North Carolina Best Bet in Week 1
- North Carolina will look to get its 2024 campaign off to a positive start following its dismal late-season swoon a year ago.
- Clemson has a daunting challenge against No. 1 Georgia.
- Head over to the BetUS football sportsbook to check out all the value-packed Week 1 college football odds.
North Carolina and Clemson will be on the gridiron for their respective Week 1 matchups

and the college football betting odds for each team are off the chain right now in the BetUS football sportsbook!
North Carolina is a slight road favorite to get past Minnesota. Meanwhile, Clemson opens against the No. 1 team in the nation in Georgia as nearly two-touchdown underdogs.
Let’s check out the NCAA betting odds for each matchup and which teams will likely come out on top.
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2 Best Bets for ACC Week 1
1. North Carolina (-1.5) at Minnesota
Even in Week 1, North Carolina will be desperate for a win after closing out its 2023 campaign with three straight losses, including its embarrassing 30-10 Mayo Bowl loss against West Virginia.
Star quarterback Drake Maye is gone and now the Tar Heels, who went 8-5 in 2023, declined to name a starter for the opener. Max Johnson, who threw for 5,852 yards with 47 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in three seasons at both LSU and Texas A&M, has a huge experience edge over Conner Harrell
North Carolina has a revamped offensive line featuring three new starters, but head coach Mack Brown has a star he will lean on in running back Omarion Hampton who rushed for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago.
The Tar Heels need to improve a defense that was far too generous in allowing 27.3 points per game last season (70th), but putting points on the board hasn’t been a problem for North Carolina the last five years under Brown.
Minnesota is coming off a dismal 6-7 season in 2023 but got a season-ending 30-24 win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl. The Gophers were decent defensively last season, if not necessarily a juggernaut in allowing 26.6 per game (68th).
Yet, Minnesota struggled mightily on offense, averaging a paltry 20.9 points (109th). The Gophers will turn over their offense to New Hampshire star Max Brosmer, who threw for 8,713 yards and 70 touchdowns in four years at the FCS-based school. Brosmer will be throwing to an almost entirely new receiving corps with the top four pass catchers from last season all gone.
North Carolina crushed Minnesota 31-13 last season. While the Tar Heels are just 1-6 ATS in its last seven games, Mack Brown’s squad has also gone 8-4 SU in its last 12 road games. Minnesota is 13-5 SU in its last 18 home dates, but the Gophers are 1-4 ATS in its last five games and a disturbing 3-7 ATS in its last 10 home games.
Neither of these teams will be competing for anything outside of a big-time bowl game appearance, but as it stands right now, North Carolina is the easy pick to win and cover the college football spread in the BetUS sportsbook as a narrow road favorite. I’m going with the Heels to win by 10 points at the minimum.
Pick: North Carolina 35 Minnesota 21
2. Clemson Live Underdogs vs Dawgs
I’m a huge Clemson fan, but the fact of the matter is that the rebuilding Tigers are facing a tall task in trying to take down a top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs team that looks superior on both sides of the ball. The 14th-ranked Tigers are coming off a modest 9-4 campaign in 2023 and have question marks on both sides of the ball as they get set for their opener.
Is junior quarterback Cade Klubnik ready for prime time against a Georgia defense that will get after him early and often? I’m not feeling positive, seeing as how Klubnik looked mediocre at best in throwing 19 touchdown passes and nine picks a year ago, including no TD passes in Clemson’s final two games.
Will Clemson’s defense show up after allowing 28 points or more four times a year ago, including allowing 35 against Kentucky in its narrow Gator Bowl win over Kentucky? Finally, did coach Dabo Swinney fail to upgrade his team after not adding a single player via the transfer portal in the offseason?
For me, this game is all about Clemson. Georgia has a very serviceable quarterback in Carson Beck and besides, head coach Kirby Smart has already proven he doesn’t need a superstar under center to win a national championship. The Bulldogs will almost certainly be as fierce on the defensive side of the ball as they have been in his eight seasons at Georgia.
Clemson won five straight to finish off its 2023 campaign. While the Tigers didn’t necessarily look dominant, they did build a bit of a foundation for success this season. Georgia narrowly got past Auburn in its regular-season opener in 2023. The Bulldogs also struggled to put away Missouri and Georgia Tech before losing to Alabama.
The last time these two teams met in the 2021 regular-season opener, Georgia scratched out a narrow 10-3 win. Both teams in this matchup are 5-5 ATS over their last 10, but Clemson went 4-1 ATS over its last five.
More importantly, two of the last three meetings between these CFP hopefuls have been decided by an identical three points and I believe this game will be closer to a field goal finish than the nearly 13.5 points it will take for the Bulldogs to cover.
I’m not prepared to pick Clemson for the outright win here, but I say back the Tigers to cover the college football spread in what looks like another thriller just waiting to happen.
The loser of this intriguing clash will keep its conference championship hopes alive, but the winner will still be a viable pick to cash in on the value-packed 2024 national championship odds.
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Take A Look At These Other 2 NCAAF Special Articles
- AAC Week 1 Picks: Bet Temple, Florida Atlantic to Cover Spread
- ACC Predictions 2024: Wide-Open Race to Win Title
Questions of the Day
Who won the ACC in 2023?
Florida State went unbeaten in the regular season and beat Louisville in the ACC title game.