The North Carolina Tar Heels and the West Virginia Mountaineers meet Wednesday in Duke’s Mayo Bowl college football action from Bank of America Stadium. North Carolina is sitting at 8-4 on the year and coming off a loss to NC State. As for West Virginia, they beat Baylor in their last appearance which improved the Mountaineers to 8-4 overall as well. Let’s get into our North Carolina vs. West Virginia prediction. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels got off to a great 6-0 start this year before taking consecutive losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech. North Carolina would then beat Campbell and Duke before two more losses to Clemson and NC State. North Carolina ended the regular season with an 8-4 record in the ACC standings. This year the Tar Heels are averaging 36.5 points per game with 306.8 yards per game, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions coming through the air.
In their latest matchup versus NC State back on November 25, the Tar Heels coughed up 20 points in the second quarter and couldn’t get any closer the rest of the way in a 39-20 loss. QB Drake Maye led the team with 254 pass yards, two scores and two picks alongside 106 rush yards and another TD.
North Carolina Tar Heels Team Facts
- North Carolina has won three of its last four games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- North Carolina has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games.
- North Carolina has won the first half in four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
- Each of North Carolina’s last five games as an underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Over on the Mountaineers’ side, they managed a 6-4 run over their first 10 games. The losses in that time were to Penn State, Houston, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. West Virginia followed that up with big wins over Cincinnati and Baylor. The Mountaineers average 31.5 points per game themselves. The emphasis is on the ground, with 234.3 yards per game and 31 rushing scores.
West Virginia’s latest win over Baylor was a close one. The Mountaineers were up 27-14 by halftime but had to hang on for a 34-31 victory. QB Garrett Greene managed 269 pass yards and two touchdowns (with two more scores on the ground), while Jahiem White led the rush on 133 yards. Hudson Clement added four catches for 80 yards as well.
West Virginia Mountaineers Team Facts
- West Virginia has lost each of its last four games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference at neutral venues.
- West Virginia has failed to cover the spread in each of its last 10 games in December.
- West Virginia has lost the first half in each of its last four games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference at neutral venues.
- Seven of West Virginia’s last eight games in December have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- West Virginia rank T39th among FBS teams for points per game this season (31.6).
- North Carolina rank 15th among FBS teams for points per game this season (36.6).
ANDREW’S FREE NORTH CAROLINA VS WEST VIRGINIA PREDICTION
I’ll take a stab on West Virginia. You could make a case either way, though; this should be a fun matchup. The Mountaineers had a bit of trouble putting away a stubborn Baylor team in their last outing but ended up with a nice offensive performance. West Virginia put up 519 total yards (269 passing) in that one with 23 first downs and zero turnovers. The scoring has been pretty good for the Mountaineers lately; they’ve got a combined 76 points in their last pair of outings.
As for North Carolina, they’re coming off a frustrating loss to a good NC State team but should bounce back well here. The Tar Heels haven’t gotten past 20 points in either of their last two games though, so making their presence felt on the scoreboard early should be a priority on Wednesday. Ultimately I like West Virginia to control the pace of the game with their rushing attack however, leading to a slim cover. It’ll be a good one to watch.