North Carolina vs. App State picks, predictions: College football Week 2 computer picks, betting lines, game odds

Expert game picks and predictions for North Carolina vs. Appalachian State as the Week 2 college football schedule kicks off on Saturday

Fresh off an impressive statement victory against a border rival from the SEC, now it's time for North Carolina to go into a rematch against Appalachian State in college football's Week 2 action on Saturday.

Carolina played a tight one at Boone a year ago, coming out with the final 63-61 victory, but not before the Mountaineers put a scare into the Tar Heels defense to the tune of 649 total yards and a 6 touchdown showing from Chase Brice, who engineered a 40 point fourth quarter in that game.

Granted, that game wasn't a great look for Gene Chizik's defensive strategy, but in the months since then, Carolina does appear to have tightened things up somewhat on that side of the ball after recording 9 sacks and holding the Gamecocks to 11 yards rushing in an important season opener last weekend.

What do the experts think of this matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

North Carolina vs. Appalachian State picks, predictions

North Carolina vs. App State picks, predictions / USA Today Images

North Carolina odds: The index is predictably siding with the Tar Heels, but by a surprising 91.5 percent margin against the Mountaineers, according to the analytics model that simulated games 20,000 times to pick winners.

App State odds: Conversely, the visiting team has the 8.5 percent chance to pull off the upset, according to the index projections.

Point spread: North Carolina comes into the game as 19.5 point favorites against Appalachian State, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook. Track it live

Total: 59.5 points

Moneyline: NC -901 | APP +500

North Carolina predictions: The index rates the Tar Heels as the No. 21 team on its latest 133 college football rankings, projecting the team to be 12.3 points better than an average opponent, and estimated to win 8.8 games this season. FPI suggests Carolina has an 8.6 percent chance to win the ACC championship.

App State predictions: The FPI dropped the Mountaineers down 10 spots on the poll this week, estimating them to be 7.0 points worse than an average opponent, and projecting the team to win 6.1 games on the season.

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North Carolina vs. App State schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 9
Time: 5:15 p.m. Eastern
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia (58)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Alabama
4. Florida State (3)
5. Ohio State
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Tennessee
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon State
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma
19. Wisconsin
20. Ole Miss
21. Duke
22. Colorado
23. Texas A&M
24. Tulane
25. Clemson

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