This week's picks

Miami vs. North Carolina Prediction and Pick, Week 9 2026

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Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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Miami at North Carolina

Week 9, Sat, Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET, Kenan Stadium.

The numbers say: Miami, 89% to win.

The game

KickoffSat, Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET
TVABC
WhereKenan Stadium
Weather59°, overcast, wind 2 mph
LineMiami −14, total 53.5
Line movementOpened Miami −14.5; moved 0.5 points toward North Carolina. Total opened 50.5, up 3.
SeriesNorth Carolina leads 16–11
Last meetingNorth Carolina 41–31 in 2023

The ratings and the line

MarginWin chanceTotal
SP+Miami by 18.591%55
PRIMEMiami by 13.082%
EloMiami95%
The lineMiami −14, opened −14.553.5, opened 50.5

Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Fri, Oct 30, 7:43 PM ET.

Who wins, Miami or North Carolina?

The numbers say: Miami. 89% chance to win

Which matchups decide Miami vs. North Carolina?

All three ratings favor Miami, by 13.0 to 18.5 points, and it isn't close. Miami's best matchup is its 3rd down offense, 11th in 3rd down conversion, against North Carolina's 3rd down defense at 109th. North Carolina's way back in is its ball security, 67th in interceptions thrown per pass, against Miami's takeaway defense at 101st.

Miami with the ball

North Carolina with the ball

Who's out for Miami and North Carolina?

Miami

North Carolina

How Miami and North Carolina compare, in charts

Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; Miami and North Carolina are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How Miami's and North Carolina's players compare

The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How do SP+, PRIME and Elo rate Miami and North Carolina?

On a neutral field, SP+ has Miami 21.0 points better (5th to 58th). PRIME also has Miami ahead, by 15.5. Elo, which only sees results, also has Miami ahead (5th to 77th).

MiamiNorth Carolina
SP+ overall24.7 (5th)3.7 (58th)
SP+ offense40.9 (1st)26.3 (75th)
SP+ defense16.6 (14th)22.5 (42nd)
SP+ special teams0.4 (11th)-0.2 (92nd)
PRIME net22.4 (5th)6.9 (36th)
PRIME offense16.06 (1st)2.01 (47th)
PRIME defense6.07 (23rd)4.06 (35th)
PRIME SOS-2.4 (69th)1.7 (29th)
PRIME SOR3.1 (6th)0.8 (48th)
Elo2018 (5th)1461 (77th)

Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.

Who's better once you adjust for the schedule?

Miami's offense ranks 3rd in adjusted EPA per play, and the North Carolina defense it faces ranks 53rd in EPA per play allowed. North Carolina's offense ranks 65th against Miami's 34th-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Miami's offense against North Carolina's defense. The biggest edge on the board is Miami's offensive line in the run game: 11th in adjusted line yards per carry, against North Carolina's 80th-ranked defense. That's a mismatch.

MiamiNorth Carolina
EPA per play (adjusted)+0.25 (3rd)+0.11 (65th)
EPA per pass (adjusted)+0.42 (1st)+0.21 (50th)
EPA per rush (adjusted)+0.07 (66th)+0.04 (89th)
Success rate (adjusted)47.1% (16th)45.1% (32nd)
Success rate, standard downs (adjusted)50.2% (25th)49.2% (34th)
Success rate, passing downs (adjusted)34.3% (10th)31.0% (60th)
Explosiveness (adjusted)0.94 (69th)0.90 (127th)
Line yards per carry (adjusted)3.19 (11th)2.98 (57th)
Open-field yards per carry (adjusted)1.14 (67th)1.00 (109th)
EPA per play allowed (adjusted)+0.05 (34th)+0.08 (53rd)
EPA per pass allowed (adjusted)+0.17 (59th)+0.16 (49th)
EPA per rush allowed (adjusted)−0.03 (7th)+0.07 (73rd)
Success rate allowed (adjusted)38.2% (24th)42.5% (79th)
Explosiveness allowed (adjusted)0.92 (37th)0.92 (47th)
Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted)2.77 (21st)3.00 (80th)
Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted)0.96 (16th)1.05 (47th)

The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.

Who's more efficient, Miami or North Carolina?

Miami is better throwing (1st in EPA per pass) than running (22nd). North Carolina's pass defense ranks 37th, so that's an edge. North Carolina is better throwing (76th in EPA per pass) than running (96th). Miami's pass defense ranks 66th. On third down, Miami has the edge: its offense ranks 1st in EPA per third-down play, and the defense it faces ranks 86th.

MiamiNorth Carolina
EPA per play+0.44 (1st)+0.10 (83rd)
EPA per pass+0.68 (1st)+0.20 (76th)
EPA per rush+0.20 (22nd)+0.04 (96th)
EPA per 3rd-down play+1.02 (1st)+0.35 (97th)
EPA per play allowed+0.03 (36th)+0.04 (43rd)
EPA per pass allowed+0.16 (66th)+0.08 (37th)
EPA per rush allowed−0.18 (2nd)+0.06 (66th)
EPA per 3rd-down play allowed+0.25 (27th)+0.45 (86th)

Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.

Who scores more, Miami or North Carolina?

Miami outscores FBS opponents by 33.7 a game, and North Carolina by 3.5. Miami's offense ranks 1st in scoring, and the North Carolina defense it faces ranks 40th in points allowed. North Carolina's offense ranks 96th against Miami's 11th-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Miami's offense against North Carolina's defense.

MiamiNorth Carolina
Points scored49.0 (1st)24.4 (96th)
Points allowed15.3 (11th)20.9 (40th)

Per game, FBS opponents only.

Which offense has the edge?

Miami's best matchup is third downs: its offense ranks 11th in 3rd down conversion rate, and North Carolina's defense ranks 109th in 3rd down conversions allowed. That's a mismatch. North Carolina has no clear edge here. Its best is SUPLEX, 45th, against a defense ranked 36th in SUPLEX allowed.

MiamiNorth Carolina
Pass yards / game340.6 (4th)222.3 (78th)
Rush yards / game214.3 (19th)129.3 (115th)
Yards per play7.98 (3rd)5.89 (91st)
Yards per carry6.25 (10th)4.84 (90th)
Yards per attempt10.02 (6th)7.17 (88th)
Completion %77.7% (5th)57.1% (99th)
Success rate51.7% (9th)44.3% (63rd)
Explosive play rate16.6% (7th)11.2% (94th)
3rd down conversion50.6% (11th)38.6% (80th)
Sack rate (taken)3.6% (29th)6.1% (83rd)
INT rate (thrown)0.8% (15th)2.3% (67th)
SUPLEX65.8% (15th)58.8% (45th)

Per game and per play, from play-by-play.

Which defense has the edge?

Miami's defense is best placed to stop the run: it ranks 5th in yards per carry allowed, and North Carolina's offense is middle of the pack in yards per carry (90th). That's a mismatch.

MiamiNorth Carolina
Pass yards allowed / game241.7 (110th)219.1 (85th)
Rush yards allowed / game72.1 (1st)170.0 (98th)
Yards per play allowed5.42 (48th)5.50 (54th)
Yards per carry allowed3.44 (5th)4.76 (67th)
Yards per attempt allowed7.02 (68th)6.61 (51st)
Success rate allowed36.5% (25th)44.0% (92nd)
Explosive plays allowed9.9% (33rd)6.9% (5th)
3rd downs allowed37.5% (58th)44.2% (109th)
Sack rate (generated)6.6% (59th)5.3% (89th)
INT rate (generated)1.7% (101st)2.2% (78th)
SUPLEX allowed48.9% (36th)52.6% (60th)

What opponents managed against them.

Who wins up front?

Miami has the better number in 11 of 12. The biggest gap is big Uglies: defensive front, where Miami ranks 40th and North Carolina 122nd.

MiamiNorth Carolina
Big Uglies: offensive line64.7 (3rd)54.2 (36th)
Big Uglies: defensive front53.8 (40th)40.9 (122nd)
Line yards per carry3.67 (2nd)3.10 (56th)
Line yards allowed per carry2.58 (19th)3.00 (83rd)
Second-level yards per carry1.17 (44th)1.14 (57th)
Open-field yards per carry1.30 (56th)0.63 (125th)
Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line)8.9% (1st)15.8% (35th)
Stuff rate (defense)18.7% (72nd)11.2% (136th)
Power success (short yardage)78.3% (31st)85.0% (8th)
Power success allowed66.7% (39th)79.5% (117th)
Front-seven havoc allowed4.6% (4th)8.6% (53rd)
Front-seven havoc9.6% (67th)6.6% (132nd)

The lines. Big Uglies is our rating for each offensive line and each defensive front: adjusted line yards (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS team. 50 is average, and every 10 points is a standard deviation. Line stats from CollegeFootballData.com, garbage time out.

Who wins the turnover battle?

Miami is +0.7 in turnover margin a game and North Carolina is −0.3. At about five points a turnover, that's roughly a 5-point edge for Miami. Turnover margin rarely holds from one month to the next, so don't count on it. Fumble recoveries are mostly luck, and Miami's takeaways lean on them (0.7 of 1.3 a game).

MiamiNorth Carolina
Interceptions thrown / game0.29 (16th)0.71 (61st)
Fumbles lost / game0.29 (20th)0.71 (99th)
Giveaways / game0.57 (7th)1.43 (88th)
Interceptions / game0.57 (85th)0.71 (66th)
Fumbles recovered / game0.71 (24th)0.43 (69th)
Takeaways / game1.29 (56th)1.14 (67th)
Turnover margin / game+0.7 (17th)-0.3 (89th)

Per game, from play-by-play.

Which team has more talent?

Miami has the more talented roster (12th in the 247Sports talent composite; North Carolina is 28th). Miami also plays further above its talent: +10.7 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to North Carolina's −2.9.

MiamiNorth Carolina
Talent composite885.9 (12th)767.9 (28th)
Blue-chip ratio55.7% (10th)27.8% (31st)
Players on roster113 (51st)109 (82nd)
Rated by 247Sports88 (33rd)90 (23rd)
5-star players6 (8th)0 (37th)
4-star players43 (12th)25 (26th)
3-star players36 (124th)65 (54th)
Below 3-star3 (53rd)0 (113th)
2026 transfers in13 (120th)19 (84th)
Transfer share14.8% (124th)21.1% (103rd)
SP+ vs. talent+10.7 (17th)-2.9 (85th)
Returning production36.9% (75th)27.8% (90th)
Returning passing production5.5% (92nd)9.5% (82nd)
Returning rushing production91.4% (26th)53.6% (63rd)
Returning receiving production44.9% (56th)32.8% (77th)
2026 recruiting class (national rank)9 (9th)19 (19th)
Recruiting rank, last four classes8.2 (6th)29.0 (24th)

247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.

Which roster costs more?

Miami's roster is valued at $39.4M, North Carolina's at $20.7M. Miami also plays better per dollar: +4.8 points of SP+ above what its payroll predicts, to −2.3 for North Carolina.

MiamiNorth Carolina
Roster value$39.4M (4th)$20.7M (48th)
Roster cost per win$5.6M (41st)$5.2M (29th)
Projected wins per $1M0.27 (37th)0.25 (43rd)
SP+ vs. payroll+4.8 (17th)-2.3 (42nd)

NIL roster value from The NIL Standard (power-conference teams plus Boise State and Oregon State). Ranks are out of 70 teams with a valuation.

Where did each team's wins come from?

Miami is +3.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is coaching (+1.3). North Carolina is +0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is luck (+0.8).

MiamiNorth Carolina
RECEIPTS (total)+3.5 (1st)+0.5 (57th)
Schedule RECEIPTS+0.4 (71st)-0.7 (122nd)
Roster RECEIPTS+1.3 (14th)+0.7 (29th)
Coach RECEIPTS+1.3 (16th)-0.2 (79th)
Luck RECEIPTS+0.5 (36th)+0.8 (24th)

Where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.

Miami at North Carolina: questions people ask

Miami vs. North Carolina prediction: who will win?

The numbers pick Miami, 89% chance to win. All three ratings favor the same team. Miami's best matchup is its 3rd down offense, 11th in 3rd down conversion, against North Carolina's 3rd down defense at 109th.

Where can I watch Miami vs. North Carolina, and what time is it?

Sat, Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET at Kenan Stadium. It's on ABC.

What's the projected score of Miami vs. North Carolina?

SP+ projects Miami 37–18. That's from this season's SP+ offense, defense and special teams ratings, with home field worth 2.5 points.

What's the line for Miami at North Carolina?

DraftKings has Miami −14, total 53.5. The numbers pick winners, not bets.

What's the Miami vs. North Carolina series history?

North Carolina leads 16–11. Last meeting: North Carolina won 41–31 in 2023.

Who are the players to watch in Miami vs. North Carolina?

Miami: Darian Mensah (2,155 passing yards), Mark Fletcher Jr. (444 rushing yards) and Malachi Toney (952 receiving yards). North Carolina: Billy Edwards (1,534 passing yards), Benjamin Hall (283 rushing yards) and Jordan Shipp (543 receiving yards). Season totals through Oct 24, 2026.

Who are the quarterbacks in Miami at North Carolina?

Miami's is Darian Mensah (2,155 passing yards this season); North Carolina's is Billy Edwards (1,534 passing yards this season).

More on this game

Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.

Miami and North Carolina: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.