One of the hottest teams in the country hits the road for a second-straight week when #3 Notre Dame (4-0) and North Carolina (2-1) clash in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina is coming off a bye week to prepare for Notre Dame, while the Irish are fresh off a 49-10 road blowout win at Purdue.

North Carolina surprised the country in Week 0 with a 15-10 upset win over TCU in Dublin, Ireland. The win gave the Bill Belichick era a breath of fresh air as he had the chance to actually recruit and coach this spring and summer. The Tar Heels demolished East Tennessee State 35-3 before losing to Clemson 28-20 on Sept. 19. North Carolina jumped out to a 17-3 lead and blew a 20-15 lead with 6:34 to go. That game was hindered by two weather delays because of lightning. UNC may not be rated as high after the loss to Clemson, but one thing is for sure, they don't stack up talent wise with Notre Dame, so that bye week will come in handy for preparation and regrouping.

Notre Dame rolled Purdue for a second straight year, this time 49-10. The Irish have won by at least 17 points in all three games and held all four opponents to 13 or fewer points. Notre Dame's defense has allowed three touchdowns and four field goals all season. Notre Dame outgained Purdue in yards 444-218, held the Boilermakers to 40 rushing yards, and the Irish only committed one penalty. CJ Carr led the way with three touchdown passes, and another on the ground with 247 total yards.

Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.

Game Details and How to Watch Notre Dame vs North Carolina

  • Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
  • Time: 5:00 PM Eastern
  • Site: Kenan Stadium
  • City: Chapel Hill, NC
  • TV/Streaming: Peacock | NBC

Game Odds for North Carolina vs Notre Dame

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

  • Moneyline: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-1800), North Carolina Tar Heels (+1000)
  • Spread: Notre Dame -21.5
  • Total: 46.5 points

#3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Head Coach: Marcus Freeman
2026 Record: 4-0
Offensive Points Per Game: 42.2 (17th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 8.2 (2nd)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 96th
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 55th

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Offense:

Notre Dame has scored 41 or more points in three out of four games, established the run, limited turnovers, and relied on CJ Carr to lead this new-look offense. Carr had four total touchdowns against Purdue and the Irish got a third body involved in the ground game alongside Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. — and that was Jonaz Walton who had seven carries for 61 yards. The Irish are committed to the ground game and could feed the hot hand against a UNC rush defense that allowed over 200 yards to Clemson.

Notre Dame Player to Watch on Offense: QB CJ Carr

CJ Carr is coming off a four touchdown effort with three through the air and one on the ground. It was second time this season he's recorded three or more touchdowns and sixth time of his career. Carr tossed 237 yards on Purdue and has five-straight games of at least 200 yards dating back to last year. Carr did throw his first interception at Purdue, making his TD to INT ratio 9:1 now.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defense:

The Irish defense has been dominant this season, ranking second in points per game (8.2), first in yards (199.2), fifth in rushing yards allowed (53.8), and 39th in passing efficiency defense. Notre Dame has allowed 33 points through four games and held the Boilermakers to 218 total yards, 178 passing and 40 rushing on 35:16 minutes of possession. An absolute dominant effort for the fourth-straight game.

Notre Dame Player to Watch on Defense: DL Boubacar Traore

Boubacar Traore recorded his third game of the season with at least a half-sack coming versus Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Purdue. Traore had 6.5 sacks last season as a junior. With Billy Edwards Jr. being sacked seven times through three games, I would think Traore is in for a big day, as could Bryce Young.

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North Carolina Tar Heels

Head Coach: Bill Belichick
2026 Record: 2-1 (0-1)
Offensive Points Per Game: 23.3 (102nd)
Defensive Points Per Game: 13.6 (20th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 65th
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 26th

The North Carolina Tar Heels Offense:

The UNC offense has a bit of an eyesore this season. The Tar Heels rank 102nd in points per game (23.3) and had 15 and 20 points in their two P4 games. UNC was outgained in yards 401-349 last game, but the running game was in full force through the bad weather. The Tar Heels ran for 214 yards and 5.5 yards per rush, which may end up being a season-high for UNC. Hosting UNC is a good chance the Tar Heels end up with their worst rushing numbers of the season.

North Carolina Player to Watch on Offense: QB Billy Edwards Jr.

Billy Edwards Jr. is coming off his worst performance of the season against Clemson. Edwards went 13-of-30 for 135 yards (43.3%), with one touchdown and one interception. Edwards went 31-of-48 (64.5%) in the first two games with 476 passing yards and two touchdowns. Edwards threw for 2,881 yards in 2024 with Maryland and a 15:9 TD to INT ratio. He likely won't hit those yardage or touchdown numbers with UNC.

The North Carolina Tar Heels Defense:

North Carolina was outgained for the first time this season when they allowed Clemson to gain 404 yards of offense. The Tar Heels are going to have a tough time keeping Notre Dame under 400 yards of offense. UNC does rank 35th in pressure and most of that is thanks to scheme, but Xavier Lewis is having a big year and could be a difference-maker for the Tar Heels if they earn sacks or force turnovers.

North Carolina Player to Watch on Defense: DL Xavier Lewis

Xavier Lewis leads UNC in sacks (6.0) over three games and could end up being the ACC leader by the end of the year. Lewis has 7, 5, and 5 tackles in three games and recorded two sacks in each game! He opened the season with 4.5 TFL versus TCU and four more over the next two games. CJ Carr has only been sacked twice with Notre Dame, so Lewis will have a challenge on his hands.

North Carolina and Notre Dame Stats, Betting Trends

  • Notre Dame is 3-1 ATS and 2-2 on the total
  • North Carolina is 1-2 ATS and 2-1 to the Under
  • Notre Dame is 8-5 ATS as a road favorite since 2023
  • Notre Dame is 9-4 to the Over as a road favorite since 2023
  • North Carolina is 2-4-1 ATS at home with Bill Belichick and 4-2-1 to the Under
  • North Carolina is 1-2-1 ATS as a home underdog with Bill Belichick and 2-1-1 to the Over
  • Notre Dame is 3-3 ATS as the road team since 2025 and 4-2 to the Over
  • North Carolina is 1-0 ATS and 1-0 to the Under versus ranked opponents under Bill Belichick

Rotoworld Best Bets

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Under 46.5 points:

"North Carolina has a team total of 11.5 in this matchup, which is a wild line. Notre Dame has a top-five defense and North Carolina ranks 109th in passing success, 79th in pass blocking, and 78th overall per PFF's offensive numbers, while Notre Dame ranks second in total defense. I am not sure how much success Billy Edwards finds here, but I'd assume he is sacked plenty and struggled to score more than 10 points. I lean the Under 46.5 or a solo play on UNC's Team Total Under 11.5."

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Source: Yahoo Sports