West Virginia vs. North Carolina odds, line: 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl picks, prediction from expert on a 10-0 run

The ACC and Big 12 collide Wednesday when the North Carolina Tar Heels and West Virginia Mountaineers square off in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The Tar Heels (8-4) tied for sixth in the ACC. They will be playing in a bowl game for the fifth straight season. Meanwhile the Mountaineers (8-4) were one of the pleasant surprises in college football this season, tying for fourth in the Big 12. They are one of 15 Power Five teams that have reached a bowl game in 19 of the last 22 seasons.

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 54. Before making any North Carolina vs. West Virginia picks of your own, you need to see whom Mike Tierney is picking, given his mastery of picks in games involving North Carolina.

No one knows football like 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:

Why West Virginia can cover

The Mountaineers will be facing a North Carolina team missing multiple key pieces due to transfers and opt-outs, most notably starting quarterback Drake Maye. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore from Huntersville, N.C., has opted to sit out the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. The loss of Maye is significant as he was a finalist for the Manning Award this season and is widely regarded as a top-two pick in the draft.

In addition, the West Virginia rushing attack has a plus matchups against the North Carolina run defense. The Mountaineers average 234.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks third in the country, behind only Liberty and Air Force. On Wednesday they face a Tar Heels defense that gives up 163.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks 86th in the nation. 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’s Cody 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.

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.