East Tennessee State vs North Carolina Picks and Prediction for Saturday September 12 2026

By: Eddie Kline Published 09/09/2026, 11:29 AM ET

East Tennessee State Preview

In Saturday afternoon college football action, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers will travel to Kenan Stadium to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Make sure you are ready for all the football action with our college football picks. The FCS Buccaneers (1-1) won seven games a season ago for former Charlotte head coach Will Healy and have scored 85 points through their first two games. On Saturday, East Tennessee State converted 8-of-11 third down attempts during a 48-14 home victory versus Tusculum.

East Tennessee jumped on the scoreboard first when Mason Mims threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Suderian Harrison. Mims finished the day with 242 passing yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore RB T.J. Peyton contributed a game-high 121 rushing yards and a pair of scores for the Buccaneers.

North Carolina Preview

The North Carolina Tar Heels lost eight games in head coach Bill Belichick’s first season at the helm and are engulfed in controversy. The Tar Heels (1-0) are under an internal investigation that caused football general manager Michael Lombardi to resign and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is out indefinitely on medical leave. In the season opener, North Carolina stopped TCU on 4-of-5 fourth down attempts and did not allow a point over the final three quarters to earn a 15-10 victory in Dublin.

Transfer Billy Edwards earned the start at quarterback and was an efficient 16-of-28 for 232 yards. TE Jelani Thurman flashed his potential with a game-high 94 receiving yards on just four receptions. Jaylen McGill added a nine-yard touchdown run for the Tar Heels, who limited the Horned Frogs to 2.7 yards per rush.

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East Tennessee State vs North Carolina Pick

For as good as East Tennessee State has been on offense, their defense leaves a lot to be desired. The Buccaneers surrendered 343 passing yards and 49 points in a season opening loss versus Campbel. After scoring just 15 points against TCU, North Carolina’s offense is in a perfect spot to get right. Take over. Final Score Prediction, North Carolina Tar Heels win 49-14.

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