Before ushering in the Bill Belichick era, the North Carolina Tar Heels will look to finish their 2024 season on a high note when they battle the UConn Huskies at the Fenway Bowl on Saturday. North Carolina is looking for its first bowl win since 2019, while UConn last won a bowl matchup in 2010. The Huskies (8-4), who played an independent schedule this season, last played in a bowl game in 2022, losing to Marshall 28-14 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The Tar Heels (6-6), who tied for 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 3-5, are 15-23 all-time in bowl games, including a 30-10 loss to West Virginia in last year's Duke's Mayo Bowl. The Tar Heels will be without top running back Omarion Hampton and 13 other teammates due to injury or the transfer portal, while UConn will be missing seven players, including six in the transfer portal.

Kickoff from Fenway Park in Boston is set for 11 a.m. ET. North Carolina is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest UConn vs. North Carolina odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 52.5.

Before making any UConn vs. North Carolina picks, you NEED to see what SportsLine college football expert Mike Tierney has to say.

A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. Tierney is 40-24 in his last 64 college football ATS picks, returning $1,335 to $100 players. In addition, he is 12-1 in his last 13 college football picks in games involving North Carolina, returning a whopping $1,090. Anyone who has followed him is WAY UP!

Now, Tierney has analyzed North Carolina vs. UConn from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions.

We can tell you he's leaning Over on the point total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins UConn vs. North Carolina on Saturday, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the UConn vs. North Carolina spread to jump on, all from the football expert who is 12-1 (+1090) over his last 13 North Carolina picks!