The North Carolina Tar Heels and TCU Horned Frogs play on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, in a game on the college football Week 0 schedule.
Which team will win the college football Week 0 game?
Check out these college football Week 0 picks and college football Week 0 predictions for the game, which can be seen at 9 a.m. MST on ESPN (stream with FUBO).
TCU is a 7.5-point favorite over North Carolina in college football Week 0 odds for the game, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Horned Frogs are -325 on the moneyline, while the Tar Heels are +260. The over/under (point total) for the game is set at 47.5 points.
Watch North Carolina vs TCU on FUBO (free trial)
The Big Lead: Take TCU to cover against North Carolina
Matt De Lima writes: "Both teams have new quarterbacks. TCU
turns to Harvard transfer Jaden Craig, who threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, while head coach Sonny Dykes says Craig is ahead of schedule in camp. North Carolina added offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and rebuilt its roster again. The Fort Worth program has the steadier quarterback situation and the better recent track record, but two new signal callers and a long trip for both teams should keep scoring modest."
Bookies.com: Bet TCU to cover vs North Carolina
Bill Speros writes: "Bill Belichick brings the circus to Dublin. He's rebuilding his roster again in Year Two. The Heels are pegged at 4.5 total wins. Last season, they brought in Belichick, Jordon Hudson, and the since-placed-on-leave GM Mike Lombardi, only to watch helplessly as a 5-loss Duke team won the ACC. Sonny Dykes and TCU have won 9 games in each of the past two seasons, but no one outside Fort Worth has noticed. That ends here in Week Zero. The Horned Frogs have the chance to own the college football spotlight. They'll take it, and run."
Dimers.com: TCU 28, North Carolina 20
It writes: "After extensive simulations, our model gives North Carolina a win probability of 27%, while TCU has a win probability of 73%."
ESPN: TCU has a 51.5% chance to defeat North Carolina on Saturday
The site gives the Tar Heels a 48.5% shot at winning the college football Week 0 game.
Sports Betting Dime: TCU 26.1, North Carolina 20.4
The site's formula predicts that the Horned Frogs will beat the Tar Heels in the Week 0 college football game.
Picks and Parlays: TCU 20, North Carolina 14
Kyle Kargel writes: "A defense-first approach from North Carolina against a TCU offense breaking in a new quarterback and coordinator points toward a competitive, lower-scoring result in Dublin."
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: North Carolina vs TCU picks, predictions, odds for college football
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