Week 2 2012 UNC vs Wake Forest Predictions
Except for the whole scandal thing coach Butch Davis did a fantastic job at UNC. Under his watch the Tar Heels cranked out NFL talent and there is still plenty left on the roster a couple of years later.
North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0) vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-0)
Saturday September 8
BB&T Field – Winston-Salem, NC
3:00PM
Moneyline: North Carolina -380, Wake Forest +315
Spread: North Carolina – 10.5
O/U: 53.5
North Carolina
UNC opened their season with a thorough whipping of little Elon College, shutting them out on their way to an easy 32.5 point cover. Last year they put a similar hurt on their fellow Tobacco Road rivals Wake Forest.
There has been so much talk of the Tar Heels defense lately that their offense gets overlooked. The fact is that UNC has one of the better offensive backfields in the conference with QB Brynn Renner and RB Gio Bernard. Both were solid against Elon but will find it more challenging this week. Bernard is a little dinged up coming out of last week but should be ready to go. There is other running talent too but Bernard is their stud.
These two teams are in separate divisions so they don’t play each other every year. Last year UNC rolled up the Deacons but Wake had one the previous two games against the Tar Heels. UNC is ineligible for post season play this year but some still like them as a dark horse to win the ACC Coastal division. There is definitely a talent gap between these two programs. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Wake Forest
Wake Forest is not expected to challenge in the ACC this year and their close victory last week – against Liberty – only confirmed that opinion. Not only was the game close but the Deacons were outgained by 70 yards in the contest and were down for significant chunks of the game before pulling it out late. No one expected the program to struggle this much and we will get a better sense this week if it was just first week jitters or something more this week.
Last year was a banner year for QBs in the ACC and junior QB Tanner Price more than contributed his fair share with more than 3000 yards and a gaudy TD/INT ratio. He lost his best weapon though which will make things tougher this season – maybe that is what we saw last week. Last year UNC really rattled him, forcing 3 picks (half his season total) ultimately leading to him exiting the game. For Wake to have a chance he will have to settle down this year.
Last week’s performance inspires little confidence that Wake Forest can protect its own turf enough to cover this modest number. If Bernard struggles or is out that will help and it should be noted that in this series the home team has been the smart play ATS lately (5-1 in last six meetings). I still think UNC is the way to go, unless you think they might be looking ahead to Louisville.
Spread Pick: North Carolina -10.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: North Carolina 37 – Wake Forest 20
