Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Prediction, Betting Pick, Latest Odds

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Prediction, Betting Pick, Latest Odds

The UNC Tar Heels will host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a battle of middling ACC squads tonight. Both teams are fighting for a bowl game as they sit around .500, and a win would go a long way for end of season morale.

The Tar Heels are 5-4, and feel they should be in a much better spot than they're in. After starting 3-0, the Heels imploded against upstart James Madison, and came up short in the following three games against the conference. They have bounced back with blowouts over Virginia and Florida State, but still have work to do to reach a bowl game and save themselves from a sad ending.

Wake Forest sits at 4-5, and are in the midst of another disappointing season. Gone are the days of the seven consecutive bowl appearances from 2016-2022. They went 4-8 last year, and are cruising towards the same record with Miami and Duke on the schedule to end the year after North Carolina. Can they steal a win against UNC tonight on the road? Let's take a look at the latest odds and examine their chances in this Wake Forest vs. North Carolina matchup.

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Odds

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Date, Time and Where To Watch

• Date: November 16, 2024
• Time: 8:00 pm ET
• Where To Watch: ACC Network

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Prediction

Wake Forest comes into this game after giving up 46 at home to Cal last week, and 49 to Clemson a few weeks ago. They rank 117th out of 134th in FBS scoring defense, allowing over 35 points per game this year. With the way the UNC offense is clicking around Omarion Hampton, Wake is going to struggle stopping them in this ACC battle. They give up 143 rushing yards per game, and he just dashed for 172 yards and a whopping four touchdowns against a weak FSU squad. Hampton has gashed defenses for over 1,150 yards this year and 13 touchdowns, going over 100 yards in every game except one.

UNC's defense isn't much better, allowing over 28 points per game. While they were made to look a little better against FSU and UVA in the last two games, they previously let up 41 against Georgia Tech, 34 to Pitt, and an embarrassing 70 to James Madison earlier this year in a game that derailed their season. That loss spurred a four-game losing streak in conference play, and while they have battled back against two lesser opponents, they haven't truly turned the corner in their 5-4 season. Wake Forest will be able to find some offense against this Tar Heels defense, led by Hank Bachmeier under center. If he can avoid throwing picks, he should lead the Demon Deacons on plenty of long drives.

This line is trending up towards 64.5 in some spots, after sitting in the 63 range all week. With just 45% of bets on the over and 70% of the money piling on behind it, we are going to ride with the over in this spot. The line has continued to tick up and both teams are clicking on offense, while neither team has exhibited much defense all year. This should be a classic ACC shootout tonight in Chapel Hill, and with a 10-point spread, Wake will spend much of the game airing it out to keep pace with the Tar Heels.

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Pick

• Pick: Over 63.5 (-110) Click here to see the latest Wake Forest vs. UNC odds