The Minnesota Golden Gophers welcome the North Carolina Tar Heels to Huntington Bank Stadium Thursday for the season-opening game for both programs. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the North Carolina vs. Minnesota odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Golden Gophers finished last season 6-7 and 3-6 in Big Ten action. Minnesota returns a slew of offensive players with 10 of the 11 starters with the program last season. QB Max Brosmer is the new addition, having spent the last several seasons with the New Hampshire Wildcats.
The Tar Heels will need to learn what life is like after QB Drake Maye, who was virtually the team’s entire offense last season. Maye was taken 3rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. North Carolina finished a disappointing 8-5 and 4-4 in ACC play. It will be getting back RB Omarion Hampton, who rushed 1,504 yards last season with 16 TDs. The Tar Heels will be led by QB Max Johnson, who has had stints at Texas A&M and LSU, with his best season coming in 2021 with the Tigers where he threw for 27 TDs and 6 INTs.
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