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Florida State vs. North Carolina College Football Picks: In the college football picks pre-season, pundits were excited about the 2009 prospects of the North Carolina and Florida State football teams. Now at mid-point of the season, both FSU and Carolina are last in the standings of their prospective ACC divisions and are void of a conference victory. At least when the schools play Thursday (8 pm ET ESPN) at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, one of these teams will pick up a league win. The loser will find itself in a bigger hole than before.

College football picks oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com list Carolina as 2 1/2-chalk ATS and -135 moneyline favorites versus the Seminoles with a 48 total. FSU backers are getting +115 moneyline odds as a road underdog.

Florida State is coming off of a 49-44 loss at home to Georgia Tech on October 10th. Carolina beat Georgia Southern 42-12 earlier that same day. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since a 38-16 FSU win in Tallahassee in 2004.

North Carolina has the No. 1 pass defense in the nation, allowing 125.2 yards per game. To put that number in perspective, however, the four FBS teams Carolina has faced have an average passing offense ranking nationally of 90. The highest-ranked passing offense Carolina has faced was East Carolina at No. 79. Even the FCS teams Carolina has faced, Georgia Southern and the Citadel, are ranked No. 68 and 81 in passing offense, respectively. Florida State is the No. 13 passing offense in the nation, averaging 297.5 yards per game. 

Florida State has 29 pass plays of 20 yards or more; in the last two games alone, the Seminoles have gained 298 yards on 11 such plays. Those big plays have, obviously, accounted for 40% or more of Florida State's passing offense in five of its six games. South Florida, one of the teams to beat the Seminoles, did the best job in shutting down the big plays, allowing only three for 78 yards and none over 30 yards; in four of six games this season, Florida State has at least one over 30-yard pass play. But while Florida State had six pass plays of 20 or more yards in their last game alone against Georgia Tech, Carolina has allowed just five all season long and none in the last two games.

College Football Picks: Look for a defensive battle between these two teams Thursday night keeping the score below the posted 48 total.

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