The Miami Hurricanes are back in the top-10 for the first time in four years this week, and won’t get very long to enjoy it with a Thursday night matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels with big ACC Coastal implications in play. This will be a 7:30 pm ET kickoff, with coverage seen on ESPN.
- When:
Sun., Oct. 20th, 2013 @ 1:00pm ET
- Where:
Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
- Who’s Favored?
Canes by 7.5 ~ 60 o/u @ BetOnline
- More Info:
The Hurricanes’ undefeated start has certainly been a surprise, but following the win over Florida in Week 2 there was talk that the program could be back on the rise. Halfway through the 2013 season that appears to be the case. It doesn’t take long for those appearances to unravel though, and head coach Al Golden is very aware of what’s at stake.
Miami has been getting it done offensively and defensively. Statistically, the Hurricanes rank in the top-10 in the country in points scored (45.2) and points allowed (16). That makes for one of the highest average margin of victory in the country, at just under 30 points per contest. Of course, that 77-7 win over Savannah State will help that margin out. But this team has wins over Florida and Georgia Tech, so they have been tested in different ways.
The season for North Carolina has been very disappointing. The 1-4 start is not what many had predicted. The Tar Heels have dropped three-straight and are 0-2 in the ACC with the latest a loss on the road to Virginia Tech. North Carolina does get this matchup with the Canes at home, so the atmosphere should be good for Thursday night.
The Tar Heels have had trouble scoring, and will face a tough challenge against a very good Miami defense. It’s hard to see this one coming out on the side of UNC, but this is also a very big game for the Hurricanes to prove that they can win the games the should on the road.