Sports betting will soon become a reality for fans living in North Carolina.
While we’re still months away from folks being able to place a bet within our borders, here is how odds-makers view North Carolina’s seven FBS football teams with regards to win totals. We polled FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings. Odds are as of June 24.
Team FanDuel BetMGM Caesars DraftKings Appalachian State 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 Charlotte 3.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 Duke 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.5 East Carolina 6.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 NC State 6.5 6.5 7.0 6.5 North Carolina 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 Wake Forest 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.0
The North Carolina Tar Heels (9-5 in 2022) have the highest over-under numbers in the state at 8.5. NC State, East Carolina, Wake Forest, Appalachian State and Duke all hover around 6.5.
The Charlotte 49ers, who will be under new leadership this season in first-year coach Biff Poggi, are projected to win only a handful of games – between 2.5 and 3.5, according to odds-makers.
The over-under number is a projection of total wins a team is expected to earn during the season. If a bettor takes the “over,” he hits his ticket if the team wins more games than the total. An “under” bet hits if the team falls short of the projected total.
National football forecaster Phil Steele, who has published a college football preview magazine for decades, takes issue with odds-makers’ views of Charlotte.
“The roster is almost completely rebuilt with transfers and almost every position looks stronger,” Steele wrote in his 2023 preview. “This is a much improved team and the Vegas Over/Under win total is 2.5 and I like the OVER on that!”
Duke also finished with nine victories a year ago. NC State, Wake and ECU each won eight contests. Appalachian State was 6-6 but scored one of the biggest upsets of the early season, knocking off Texas A&M in College Station. Charlotte was 3-9, leading to a coaching change.
