Let the mayhem begin as Mack Brown of the 8-4 North Carolina Tar Heels or Neal Brown of the 8-4 West Virginia Mountaineers gets set to be covered in victory mayonnaise on Wednesday evening.
Which team is headed for the win, and which coach is headed for a condiment coating? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Duke’s Mayo Bowl prediction.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
West Virginia -6.5 - Moneyline
West Virginia -258, North Carolina +210 - Over/Under
54 points - Game time
5:30 p.m. ET - Location
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC - Predicted Weather at Kick
63 degrees, 9 mph winds, cloudy - How to Watch
ESPN, FuboTV
Willing to place a wager on West Virginia? Are the Tar Heels teasing and tempting you to take a shot? If you’re going to take advantage of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
Two previous bowl game meetings between North Carolina and West Virginia saw close-fought games resulting in a 1-1 head-to-head tie heading into Wednesday afternoon. Although both teams have several transfer portal departures impacting their roster, the loss of starting QB Drake Maye, who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, could prove critical for the Tar Heels’ chances in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
It’s not the only factor in West Virginia being the favorite here, but it solidifies the belief that the Mountaineers can get the job done. They’re 7-5 covering the spread this season, while North Carolina is 6-6 and hasn’t covered in their last three games.
In fact, they’ve failed to cover in each of their four defeats in the 2023 college football season.
MORE: CFB Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker
With two top-40 scoring offenses and two defenses that rank in the bottom half of the country for points allowed, it’s worth a punt on this game sailing past the 54-point line.
Eight of West Virginia’s games have hit the over this fall, while two of North Carolina’s last three have hit the over and the vast majority of their games this year have tallied more than 54 points.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
North Carolina Depth Chart | West Virginia Depth Chart
- QB Conner Harrell, North Carolina
- QB Garrett Greene, West Virginia
- RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
- RB British Brooks, North Carolina
- RB Caleb Hood, North Carolina
- RB CJ Donaldson Jr., West Virginia
- RB Jahiem White, West Virginia
- RB Justin Johnson Jr., West Virginia
- WR Gavin Blackwell, North Carolina
- WR Nate McCollum, North Carolina
- WR J.J. Jones, North Carolina
- WR Preston Fox, West Virginia
- WR Devin Carter, West Virginia
- WR Hudson Clement, West Virginia
- TE Deems May, North Carolina
- TE Kole Taylor, West Virginia
There are four college football games on Wednesday from which to compile your DFS team. If you’re new to DFS, FanDuel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “Superflex” that can be any of the above or a tight end.
Quarterback Maye might be gone, but that doesn’t mean that your Duke’s Mayo Bowl picks should entirely avoid the Tar Heels offense. Running back Omarion Hampton has been as impactful as any rusher this fall, finding the end zone 16 total times and tallying over 1,600 yards. He should shoulder a heavy load in this game as a legitimate DFS option.
Splitting the load has probably cost the West Virginia running back duo a place in many DFS and fantasy lineups. CJ Donaldson Jr. leads the way with 151.7 points bolstered by an 11-touchdown season. However, Jahiem White has done far more with fewer opportunities, turning his 100 touches into 120.2 points. White offers more value as a receiving back than his teammate.
With USC’s Caleb Williams opting out of the Holiday Bowl, the quarterback with the most fantasy points this season who plays on Wednesday is West Virginia’s Garrett Greene. A true dual-threat, Greene has 13 rushing touchdowns and 708 rushing yards helping fuel his 287.92 fantasy points this season. He’s a fantasy QB1 contender from this slate of games.
Prediction for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction. Which head coach is getting coated in mayonnaise? Will North Carolina struggle without quarterback Maye? Can a season that started with low expectations end with the best West Virginia record since 2016?
It feels like a long time ago since West Virginia head coach Brown was fielding questions about his job security and firing back at preseason media polls that had the Mountaineers last in the Big 12. They may have lost the two biggest games on their schedule — Penn State and Oklahoma — but WVU reaching eight wins was never really on anyone’s bingo card this fall.
MORE: 2023 CFN All-American Team and Individual Honors
They’ve done it by being thoroughly dominant on the ground. Running backs Donaldson and White, plus the rushing capability of quarterback Greene, have seen the Mountaineers rank fourth in the country for rushing yards per game while sitting in the top 15 nationally across several rushing metrics.
How does that pertain to this game? Well, North Carolina has the 89th-ranked rushing defense in the country this season. The Mountaineers should be able to move the ball at will, especially against a defense that will be without star linebacker Cedric Gray.
The UNC offense has had more balance to it than West Virginia’s has this year, which makes the loss of Maye more substantial. While running back Hampton can move the ball, backup Conner Harrell will likely have to throw some on a secondary that ranks 16th in the nation for passes broken up, led by the dangerous Beanie Bishop Jr.
With the more stable offense and a defense that could prove dangerous for an inexperienced quarterback, the Mountaineers could prove too strong for North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Head coach Neal Brown started the year on the hot seat, and could end it in the mayo seat.
Prediction: West Virginia 33, North Carolina 24
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football’s transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!