Notre Dame heads to Chapel Hill in Week 5 of the 2026 college football season for a showdown with North Carolina on Saturday at 12 p.m. The Fighting Irish are 4-0 on the season and looking to make the College Football Playoff after being left out a year ago, while the Tar Heels are 2-1 to start Bill Belichick's second season as head coach. Notre Dame demolished Purdue 49-10 in Week 4 and has moved up to No. 3 in the latest poll, while North Carolina is coming into this matchup after having an open week.
According to the latest Notre Dame vs. UNC odds, the Fighting Irish are favored by 21 points on the road. UNC in Week 5 at DraftKings and get $150 in bonus bets when you spend $5+: The Irish and Tar Heels last met in 2022, a 45-32 Notre Dame victory despite then-UNC quarterback Drake Maye throwing five touchdown passes.
We'll go over the latest Notre Dame vs. UNC odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and highlight our best bet for the contest with help from the SportsLine Projection Model. The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times.
It enters Week 5 on a 32-24 run on all top-rated college football picks at betting sites, returning nearly $600 for $100 players. Anybody following its picks on college football betting sites could have seen strong returns. CJ Carr continues to be a steady presence at quarterback for Notre Dame, throwing for 963 yards and nine touchdowns over the first four games with one interception.
Notre Dame's running game remains solid with Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr. and Jonaz Walton all contributing. Micah Gilbert, who had less than 100 receiving yards in 2025, is the team's leading receiver with 334 yards through four games. The Irish have been exceptional on defense, allowing just 8.3 points per game.
And yet, this is probably the first true test for Marcus Freeman's group. North Carolina was not expected to do much in Belichick's second season after a 4-8 campaign last year but the Tar Heels stunned TCU in Week 0 in Ireland and were a rain delay away from topping Clemson. Billy Edwards Jr. has not been a star at quarterback, but he's playing relatively clean football.
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