North Carolina vs Clemson Picks and Prediction for Saturday September 19 2026

By: Eddie Kline Published 09/14/2026, 12:15 AM ET

North Carolina Preview

In the first game of a Saturday college football quadrupleheader on ESPN, the North Carolina Tar Heels will invade Death Valley to face the Clemson Tigers. Make sure you are ready for all the football action with our college football picks. The Tar Heels (2-0) seem to be improved for second year head coach Bill Belichick, but are swarmed in controversy. An internal investigation is ongoing that caused football general manager Michael Lombardi to resign, while defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is out indefinitely on medical leave. On Saturday, North Carolina limited FCS East Tennessee State to 2.2 yards per rush during a convincing 35-3 home victory.

North Carolina jumped out to a 14-0 lead on touchdown receptions from Jelani Thurman and Benjamin Hall. Sophomore RB Demon June contributed 33 rushing yards and three scores. Xavier Lewis and Jaylen Harvey each recorded two sacks for the Tar Heels.

Clemson Preview

The Clemson Tigers are coming off their worst season since 2010 and longtime head coach Dabo Swinney no longer seems fit for the job. Chad Morris was brought back for his second stint as offensive coordinator and must resuscitate a ground attack that failed to rush for 100 yards five times a season ago. The Tigers (1-1) were embarrassed in a season-opening 41-point loss at LSU and did not inspire much confidence with last week’s 22-7 home victory versus Georgia Southern.

Freshman QB Tait Reynolds replaced injured senior Christopher Vizzina and led Clemson to five scoring drives. T.J. Moore caught seven passes for a game-high 103 receiving yards and a touchdowns. Nolan Hauser nailed five field goals for the Tigers, who rushed for 150 yards on 39 carries.

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North Carolina vs Clemson Pick

Clemson has been one of the most dominant teams in the ACC Conference, so it is no surprise that they have defeated North Carolina seven consecutive times. The Tigers opened as a 5.5 point favorite, but that number quickly disappeared. Through two games, Tar Heels have allowed just 13 points and defensive guru Belichick could be facing a freshman quarterback. Take North Carolina to pull off the upset on the road. Final Score Prediction, North Carolina Tar Heels win 24-20.

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