North Carolina vs. West Virginia odds, line: 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl picks, prediction from expert on a 10-0 run
West Virginia coach Neal Brown will try to improve his bowl record as a head coach to 5-1 when he and the West Virginia Mountaineers square off against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl on Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The 43-year-old Brown went 3-0 in bowls as the head coach at Troy before becoming the coach at West Virginia, where he is 1-1 in bowls. Meanwhile Tar Heels coach Mack Brown is 14-11 in 25 career bowl games as a head coach, including a 4-5 mark in two stints at UNC.
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 via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 56. 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 Times, has 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 -6.5
- West Virginia vs. North Carolina over/under: 56 points
- West Virginia vs. North Carolina money line: Mountaineers -251, Tar Heels +202
- WVU: 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 running backs in the country in Omarion Hampton. A 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore from Clayton, N.C., Hampton averages 120.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks third in the nation, behind only Missouri'sCody Schrader and Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon. For his efforts this season, Hampton was named a Walter Camp first team All-America.
In addition, North Carolina will face a West Virginia offense missing its leading rusher. CJ Donaldson, a 6-foot-1, 238-pound sophomore from Miami, will not play on Wednesday because of injury, coach Neal Brown said. Donaldson led the team this season in carries (171) and rushing yards (798) and ranked second in rushing touchdowns (11). 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.
