The North Carolina Tar Heels will try to end a three-game losing streak in bowl games when they square off against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Since beating Temple in the 2019 Military Bowl, the Tar Heels have lost to Texas A&M (2020 Orange), South Carolina (2021 Duke’s Mayo) and Oregon (2022 Holiday). Meanwhile the Mountaineers have lost their only bowl appearance since winning the 2020 Liberty over Army.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET. The Mountaineers are 6.5-point favorites in the latest West Virginia vs. North Carolina odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 56.5. Before making any North Carolina vs. West Virginia picks, you need to see whom Mike Tierney is picking, given his mastery of picks in games involving North Carolina.
Tierney, the veteran sportswriter whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Los Angeles Timeshas covered college football of all levels for decades. In addition, Tierney has a read on the pulse of the Tar Heels. He is a perfect 10-0 on his last 10 college football picks in games involving North Carolina. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on WVU vs. UNC and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Now, here are several college football odds and trends for UNC vs. WVU:
West Virginia vs. North Carolina spread: Mountaineers -6.5West Virginia vs. North Carolina over/under: 56.5 pointsWest Virginia vs. North Carolina money line: Mountaineers -251, Tar Heels +202WVU: Mountaineers rank third in the country in rushing offense (234.3 yards per game)UNC: Omarion Hampton is No. 3 in the nation in rushing yards per game (120.2)West Virginia vs. North Carolina: See picks at SportsLine West Virginia vs. North Carolina live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why West Virginia can cover
The Mountaineers have one of the best defensive backs in the country in Beanie Bishop Jr. The transfer from Minnesota leads the nation in passes defended (24), breakups (20) and forced incompletions (17) and is No. 16 in interceptions (four). For his efforts this season, he was named a first-team all-America selection by Walter Camp and the Football Writers Association of America.
In addition, West Virginia will be facing an inexperienced quarterback on Wednesday in Conner Harrell. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound freshman will start in place of Drake Maye, who has opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. The game will be the first career college start for Harrell, who has thrown just six passes in mop-up duty this season. See which team to pick here.
Why North Carolina can cover
The Tar Heels have one of the best defensive ends in the ACC in Kaimon Rucker. The 265-pound senior from Hartwell, Ga., ranks third in the conference in sacks (8.5) and sixth in tackles for loss (14). Rucker, who earned second-team all-ACC honors this season, already has announced that he would return for another season in Chapel Hill.
In addition, North Carolina faces a West Virginia offense that has struggled to throw the ball this season. The Mountaineers rank 92nd in the country in passing offense (203.8 yards per game). West Virginia passers also are completing just 53.9 percent of their passes this season, which ranks 117th in the nation. See which team to pick here.
How to make West Virginia vs. North Carolina picks
Tierney has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Over on the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins North Carolina vs. WVU, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the West Virginia vs. North Carolina spread hits, all from the expert on a perfect 10-0 run on picks in games involving North Carolina, and find out.
2023-12-27 20:01:00
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