North Carolina Tar Heels vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 12/27/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Carolina Tar Heels vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Mountaineers (-3)

Total/Over-Under: 55.5

The North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4) are headed to Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 where they will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (8-4) in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. North Carolina is 3-point dogs from oddsmakers. The total has been set at 55.5.

The North Carolina Tar Heels step onto the field holding a record of 8-4 for this season. In their last game, the Tar Heels played the NC State Wolfpack and took a loss by a score of 39-20. Drake Maye was the leader on the ground for the Tar Heels with 9 attempts for 106 yds (11.8 yds per carry). Drake Maye finished 22/38 with 254 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. He had a QB rating of 120.9 and walked away from the game with 2 picks. Against the run, the Tar Heels conceded 170 yards on 43 attempts, which is an average of 4.0 yds per run surrendered. North Carolina conceded 22 pass completions on 31 attempts for 334 yds, and a completion rate of 71.0%. At the end of the game, they ran 59 plays which totaled 384 yds. The North Carolina Tar Heels ran the football 21 different times and tallied 130 yards, earning them an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

Concerning scoring points, the North Carolina Tar Heels hold an average of 36.6 points per game. Offensively they're maintaining an average of 197.1 yards on the ground ranking this team at 17th in the nation. The Tar Heels have tallied 6,047 total yards for the season. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, North Carolina has totaled 25 passing touchdowns and 28 rushing touchdowns. North Carolina has tallied 300 first downs as a team, and they have been called for 85 penalties for 802 yards. They have turned the football over 14 different times.

The Tar Heels sit in 74th in college football concerning their opponents scoring, allowing 27.1 PPG. They are giving up 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 163.1 rushing yards per contest so far this season. Overall, they have conceded 1,957 running yards through 12 contests. In terms of passing yards, the Tar Heels have conceded 2,908 yards which has them sitting in 97th in the nation. They have allowed 242.3 yards per outing via the pass as well as allowing a completion percentage of 62.6%. For the year, they are conceding 405.4 yards per outing putting them at 98th in Division 1. They have given up 19 touchdowns via the pass as well as 20 touchdowns pounding the rock.

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The Mountaineers head into this game 8-4 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Mountaineers took home the win by a final score of 34-31 when they faced the Baylor Bears. Garrett Greene (2 touchdowns) finished the game with 269 yds on 16/25 passing while his quarterback rating was 180.8. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per attempt was 10.8. Jahiem White carried the ball 17 times for 133 yards, ending the contest with 7.8 yds per carry for West Virginia. West Virginia ran the ball for 6.8 yards per attempt, finishing the game with 250 yards on 37 attempts. The Mountaineers finished the game with 519 yds while they ran 62 plays (8.4 yds per play). The Mountaineers secondary gave up a completion percentage of 85.0%, surrendering 215 yds on 17 out of 20 through the air. West Virginia relinquished 37 run attempts for 119 yards (3.2 yards per rush).

Regarding their ability to score points, the Mountaineers are 40th in D-1 with 31.6 PPG. The West Virginia Mountaineers average 438.2 yards/contest, which has them sitting 27th in D-1. The West Virginia offense has totaled 532 yards of penalties on 58 violations, which is 114th in Division 1 in terms of helping out the other team. They have given away 7 interceptions while surrendering 6 fumbles and they have tallied 274 first downs. During this campaign to this point, the Mountaineers have racked up 2,446 passing yards along with holding an average of 203.8 throwing yards per outing, which ranks 94th in college football. They maintain an average of 234.3 yards per game on the ground and have run for 2,812 yards in total.

The Mountaineers are conceding 27.5 points per game, which puts them 78th in college football. West Virginia has yielded a total of 1,732 yards via the ground game (144.3 yards/game) in addition to 16 touchdowns on the ground for the season. This season, they have given up 330 total points. They have conceded 25 touchdowns through the air in addition to 239.9 yards per outing, which has them sitting 93rd in the country. The Mountaineers defense has taken part in 788 plays, ranking them 47th in Division 1. They have totaled 4 fumbles and 10 picks for the season.

Who will win tonight's Tar Heels/Mountaineers college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Tar Heels +3

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