2022 Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs North Carolina

2022 Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs North Carolina

posted December 21

The Game

QUACK ATTACK is coming to San Diego, yo.

The Ducks appeared to be in prime position to get to the PAC 12 title game until they lost a pair of close games in November (Washington, Oregon St). It’ll be interesting to see how they respond in this tilt. The Tar Heels won the Coastal Division and booked nine regular season wins so that’s gotta be considered a success. The bad news? The roster has been decimated by transfers and quitters and they come into this BAD BOY on a three-game skid.

The Details

Oregon -14.5 North Carolina (73.5)

MEGALOCKS LINE – Oregon -14

“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Oregon 44 North Carolina 29.5

Oregon offense vs North Carolina defense

The Ducks have a balanced and lethal attack (#14 FBS rush, #15 pass) led by their star QB Bo Nix (27-6 TD to INT, 14 rush TD) who should have a yuuuge game vs the disgustingly bad UNC defense that’s missing a bunch of players for this game (transfer portal, injury). The Tar Heels rank #116 (!) in the nation in total defense (438 YPG) and #105 in scoring defense (#105) and they’re gonna have no answer for what Oregon brings to the table. The majority of the key weaponry will be available on offense for this game and we anticipate Oregon getting into the 40s unless they turn it over multiple times. That’s unlikely, and note that the Ducks have allowed just 4 (!) sacks all season (#1 FBS). The only possible fly in the ointment is the fact that Nix injured his ankle in November and he didn’t have close to the same mobility in the final few games. Hopefully, the time off will help.

North Carolina offense vs Oregon defense

QB Drake Maye burst onto the scene in 2022 and has had a phenomenal campaign for the Tar Heels so far (4,115, 35-7 TD to INT, 653 rush, 7 TD). There’s no doubt he deserves all the ACC HARDWARE that’s come his way including ACC Player of the Year. There’s quite a bit of bad news to report as the potent UNC offense has been hit with multiple injuries at RB and their star WR Josh Downs (94, 1,029, 11 TD) has decided to quit and get ready for the NFL draft. It’s not a hopeless situation tho as the Ducks weren’t great on defense down the stretch (37,20,38 points allowed L3G) and their star CB Christian Gonzalez quit and won’t be playing in this one.

Trends, Intangibles and More!

Oregon is 15-20 in bowl games and this will be HC Dan Lanning’s first shot at coaching in the postseason…..UNC HC Mack Brown is 5-4 in bowl action but they’ve lost by double-digits in each of the last two seasons…..Both teams lost their OCs and will have new doods calling the plays in this game.

Summary

It’s hard to make a case for the underdog but it’s never easy laying a big number in a bowl game when the motivation for both teams is a bit of an unknown. At least UNC has an elite talent at the most important position on the field so they could hang around for a bit if they get a break or two. Prefer the favorite but gonna take a pass on this one for now.

Conclusion

No leanage.


Note:

‘Official play’ implies we have played the game for our standard wager amount.

‘Lean’ implies we are comfortable suggesting ‘small potatoes’ on the game if you want to get down on some sweet action.

‘No leanage’ implies we won’t be involved in the game from a betting standpoint. In-game wagering possibilities only.