The North Carolina Tar Heels will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their season opener on August 29, 2024, with the Gophers being slight favorites at -1.5. The Tar Heels, coming off an 8-5 season, lost standout QB Drake Maye to the NFL and will introduce Max Johnson from LSU and Texas A&M as their new quarterback. Minnesota, under head coach P.J. Fleck, aims to improve upon a 6-7 season and will debut transfer QB Max Brosmer, who previously excelled at New Hampshire. Betting trends indicate a competitive matchup, with 42% of spread bets favoring North Carolina and 60% backing the over on a total of 50.5 points. College Gameday analysts have mixed predictions, with three favoring Minnesota and two backing North Carolina. The game will kick off at 7 PM Central Time and is expected to draw significant attention as both teams look to start the season strong.