The ACC is off to a 2-0 begin in bowl season and can look to proceed that within the Vacation Bowl matchup between the Oregon Geese (9-3) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (9-4).

Location: Petco Park (San Diego, Calif.)
When: December 28 – 8:00 PM ET
Community: Fox
Unfold: Oregon -14.0, O/U 75

IB has damaged down the sport and now it is time for us to make our predictions.

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: North Carolina 31, Oregon 27

It is a matchup of two groups that struggled mightily down the stretch, with North Carolina dropping its closing three video games and Oregon dropping two of three. Oregon was fairly sloppy in its win over Utah, which was sandwiched between losses to Washington and Oregon State.

North Carolina was terrible down the stretch and the Tar Heels wanted a break. Each groups are coping with personnel departures, in order that’s a wash as effectively. Oregon has most of the matchup benefits, however I am going with my intestine a bit on this one due to two key matchups, and my intestine says Drake Maye goes to rally his workforce round him after asserting he is returning in 2023 as an alternative of transferring. 

When given time Maye is excellent, and Oregon ranked 123rd this season in sacks per recreation and can play this recreation with out DJ Johnson, their greatest move rusher. Oregon additionally ranked 107th in passing yards allowed and 68th in yards allowed per try. If UNC provides Maye time to throw he’ll shred the Oregon protection. Oregon QB Bo Nix will battle however it will not be sufficient.

Prediction: North Carolina 35, Oregon 21

There are at all times so many variables that go into predicting a bowl recreation and this recreation is not any completely different. Oregon misplaced its offensive coordinator to Arizona State and can be tutoring Drew Pyne for the following few years down at Arizona State. He isn’t anticipated to be teaching within the bowl recreation and it’ll be a “collaborative effort” to name performs and put collectively the sport plan. Sorry, that by no means works. Within the meantime, UNC QB Drake Maye has doubled down on his love and loyalty for the Tar Heels after stories of him leaving for multi-million greenback offers elsewhere. It might not be the favored choose however I’m taking the Heels on this one.

RYAN ROBERTS, DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING

Prediction: Oregon 37, North Carolina 21

The Tar Heels ended the season wanting very uninspiring throughout. The protection continues to be a difficulty and the offense started to make a ton of errors.

On the opposite facet, Oregon is driving a ton of momentum. Quarterback Bo Nix has had an incredible season and needs to be tough for North Carolina to cease him. The Geese maintain onto momentum coming into the low season. 

SHAUN DAVIS, RECRUITING ANALYST

Prediction: Oregon 41, North Carolina 35

There needs to be numerous passes thrown on this recreation, which suggests it may simply run over 4 hours in tv time. On the Carolina facet, Drake Maye nonetheless has sufficient weapons at his disposal to place factors on the board towards a Geese protection with out DJ Johnson there to hurry the passer, they usually struggled mightily towards the move late within the season. 

Whereas the UNC protection might be attacked in several methods, the Oregon receivers ought to have the ability to feast on a Tar Heel secondary that can be with out three key elements. Bowl video games usually come right down to which workforce is extra motivated on this recreation, it must be Oregon. Whereas each groups have had main opt-outs and are buoyed by the data that their quarterbacks will return in ’23, the Geese appear to be a workforce decided to make use of a bowl win to create momentum going into 12 months two of the Dan Lanning period.

SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Oregon 36, North Carolina 31

North Carolina had received six straight after dropping to Notre Dame, however the Tar Heels have misplaced three straight going into the Vacation Bowl. Oregon is the most effective operating workforce UNC has seen for the reason that loss to the Irish. The Duck run for greater than 216 yards a recreation and can be an excessive amount of for the Heels to deal with. 

ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Oregon 44, North Carolina 28

The Vacation Bowl options an intriguing matchup between two applications that overcame September stumbles to enter November with a shot on the School Soccer Playoff earlier than faltering within the season’s closing month. Oregon dropped 2 of its final 3 video games, falling to rivals Washington and Oregon State, whereas North Carolina misplaced its closing 3 video games to Georgia Tech, NC State, and Clemson. Nonetheless, each applications have seized momentum this offseason, with Oregon NIL {dollars} fueling a category that vaulted into the top-10 based on some recruiting companies, whereas UNC’s redshirt freshman QB Drake Maye introduced that he would spur the rumored multi-million greenback paydays and return to Chapel Hill. 

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