Guaranteed Pick: Larry Ness
Game: North Carolina at Pittsburgh Panthers Dec 26 2009 4:30PM
Prediction: North Carolina
Reason: My LEGEND play is on North Carolina at 4:30 ET. The Panthers come in with the better record (9-3) and have the higher (#17) ranking. The Panthers also have the stronger offense. The Tar Heels (8-3) have several important advantages of their own though. They've got the better defense. In fact, they rank sixth in the entire country in total defense (267.8 yards per game), including ninth against the run and 15th through the air. The Tar Heels will also have the support of the home crowd, as Charlotte is just a two-hour drive from Chapel Hill. Perhaps most importantly, the Tar Heels are the team which wants to be here more. Don't get me wrong. UNC would love to be in a bigger bowl. However, the Tar Heels disappointment about being here pales in comparison to Pittsburgh's disappointment. The Panthers had much bigger plans and their dreams were shattered much later in the season. In fact, you may recall that the Panthers were up 31-10 against Cincinnati in their final game of the regular season. A victory there would have given them a share of the Big East title. It wasn't meant to be though. The Bearcats completed a furious second half rally, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. That still would have only tied the game if the Panthers hadn't botched the convert on their previous touchdown. That's a tough pill to swallow and it will be difficult for Wannestedt's crew to recover when still thinking about what could have been. The Tar Heels have more to play for. Not only are they playing close to home but they lost here last season. That should make Butch Davis' job of motivating his players much easier. The Tar Heels had some trouble putting away weak teams this season. They were at their best against good teams though. They upset the likes of Virginia Tech and Miami, both ranked teams, and were 4-1 ATS against teams with a winning record - all four of them outright wins. They are now 13-4 ATS against winning teams the last three years. With the Panthers are 1-6 SU and ATS their last seven against teams from the ACC, expect the Tar Heels to step up and score the upset. *10 North Carolina
Good Luck...Larry
Game: North Carolina at Pittsburgh Panthers Dec 26 2009 4:30PM
Prediction: North Carolina
Reason: My LEGEND play is on North Carolina at 4:30 ET. The Panthers come in with the better record (9-3) and have the higher (#17) ranking. The Panthers also have the stronger offense. The Tar Heels (8-3) have several important advantages of their own though. They've got the better defense. In fact, they rank sixth in the entire country in total defense (267.8 yards per game), including ninth against the run and 15th through the air. The Tar Heels will also have the support of the home crowd, as Charlotte is just a two-hour drive from Chapel Hill. Perhaps most importantly, the Tar Heels are the team which wants to be here more. Don't get me wrong. UNC would love to be in a bigger bowl. However, the Tar Heels disappointment about being here pales in comparison to Pittsburgh's disappointment. The Panthers had much bigger plans and their dreams were shattered much later in the season. In fact, you may recall that the Panthers were up 31-10 against Cincinnati in their final game of the regular season. A victory there would have given them a share of the Big East title. It wasn't meant to be though. The Bearcats completed a furious second half rally, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. That still would have only tied the game if the Panthers hadn't botched the convert on their previous touchdown. That's a tough pill to swallow and it will be difficult for Wannestedt's crew to recover when still thinking about what could have been. The Tar Heels have more to play for. Not only are they playing close to home but they lost here last season. That should make Butch Davis' job of motivating his players much easier. The Tar Heels had some trouble putting away weak teams this season. They were at their best against good teams though. They upset the likes of Virginia Tech and Miami, both ranked teams, and were 4-1 ATS against teams with a winning record - all four of them outright wins. They are now 13-4 ATS against winning teams the last three years. With the Panthers are 1-6 SU and ATS their last seven against teams from the ACC, expect the Tar Heels to step up and score the upset. *10 North Carolina
Good Luck...Larry
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