West Virginia finishes 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the Mountaineers face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Our staff gives their predictions for the game
Ashley O’Brien: The 2023 season has taught me to never feel confident when playing a backup quarterback. While I have a ton of faith in Garrett Greene, I’m nervous about UNC without Drake Maye. I have a feeling this game is going to be as stressful as if I had to have five pounds of mayo poured on my head, but I do think West Virginia ultimately wins the game. Playing in Charlotte served the Mountaineers well in 2018 and one can hope this will be an end of Christmas season miracle.
West Virginia 30, North Carolina 27
Wesley Shoemaker: Everything about this game makes me want to pick West Virginia which gives me some bit of worry. Between the backup quarterback situation, and the excitement surrounding the spot the Mountaineers are in, I think there could be a little bit of complacency possibly creeping its way in. However, keeping most of your roster intact up to this point is huge, and I think the leadership on the offensive side of the ball will be big. Not having CJ Donaldson hurts, but Jahiem White can certainly show why he has such high expectations heading into the future. Overall, I think West Virginia wins. A feel good victory to end 2023 and get some serious positive momentum heading into next season.
West Virginia 34, North Carolina 30
Aaron Parker: This West Virginia team has well-exceeded expectations, finishing fourth in the Big 12 conference when chosen to be a bottom-feeder. This is a great opportunity for the Mountaineers against a talented, yet incomplete, North Carolina team. West Virginia took momentum into the month-long break with a thrilling win over Baylor, but I think there will be some slow starts with veteran center Zach Frazier out. I think the defense will have to adjust to a backup quarterback with little film on UNC’s end, but I think the Mountaineers get a thrilling win
West Virginia 31, North Carolina 28
Patrick Reneau: West Virginia is traveling to Charlotte for the mayo bowl this year. In game that features two stellar running backs, I expect a lot of points to be scored. West Virginia struggled to contain Ollie Gordon earlier this season, and Omarion Hampton is going to be to closest thing to Gordon the mountaineers have seen. I expect the passing game to be a focus for West Virginia as well, being a key thing for them to win.
West Virginia 41, North Carolina 34
Ryan Roddy: The Mountaineers head to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl after not playing in over a month. There may be a slow start, as both teams get back into the swing of things. However, I expect the second half to be electric with a ton of points scored. Garrett Greene will be a total field general, doing everything to put West Virginia in the right position. While UNC should heavily rely on back Omarion Hampton, who rushed for over 1,400 yards this season with 15 touchdowns.
West Virginia 42, North Carolina 38
Mark Wratchford: West Virginia has themselves pitted in an interesting matchup against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. West Virginia finished the season off strong, while North Carolina did not. West Virginia has won their last two games while North Carolina has lost their last two games. North Carolina also has seemed to have lost more pieces for the bowl game than West Virginia has. I think this will be a competitive ball game that West Virginia will eventually come out on top on.
West Virginia 35, North Carolina 31
Korey Moore: The Tar Heels closed their regular season allowing a lot of points from Duke, Clemson, and NC State. With their own offense in shambles Wednesday, West Virginia has no reason not to keep ahead in the game. To be clear, West Virginia is missing key players, but its offensive strategy through Greene stays mostly in tact, and North Carolina doesn’t have enough experience without its own offensive ringmaster for me to feel confident picking them in Charlotte
West Virginia 27, North Carolina 17
