Wake Forest (4-5, 2-3 ACC) takes on North Carolina (5-4, 2-3) in ACC conference play on Saturday, Nov. 16. This game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ACC Network.
The Tar Heels are listed at 11.5-point favorites in the contest, with a total set at 63.5.
Neither of these squads will factor into the ACC conference championship race this season, but both are still fighting for bowl eligibility and working to build momentum going into next year.
Let's dive into my Wake Forest vs. North Carolina predictions.
Wake Forest vs UNC Prediction, Picks
- Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Pick: Wake Forest +11
My UNC vs. Wake Forest best bet is on the Demon Deacons to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at DraftKings, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Wake Forest vs UNC Odds
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 63.5 -115o / -105u | +300 |
| UNC Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 63.5 -115o / -105u | -420 |
- Wake Forest vs North Carolina Point Spread: Wake Forest +11 (-110) · North Carolina -11 (-110)
- Wake Forest vs North Carolina Total: Over/Under 64 (-110o / -110u)
- Wake Forest vs North Carolina Moneyline: Wake Forest +320 · North Carolina -410
Wake Forest vs UNC Betting Preview
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview: Fighting for a Bowl Game
Wake Forest comes in off of a Friday night home loss against Cal last week.
The Deacs found themselves down early as turnovers and special teams miscues plagued Wake Forest in the first half.
The offense battled well in the second half and was able to score three touchdowns in the second half. With Cal leading by three and running the clock out in the final minute, Wake allowed a touchdown run on third down, which extended the final margin to 10 points.
I like what I saw out of the Wake Forest offense and this team is still playing hard in a fight to get to bowl eligibility and end their season on a high note.
North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview: Playing Their Best Defense
UNC is off a bye week following two strong road performances in wins against Virginia and Florida State.
The Heels had lost four straight games and were completely lost on both sides of the ball. A timely October bye week allowed the team to rally the troops and get back on track and they have looked very impressive.
The defense has played their best two-game stretch of the season as the secondary is playing with continuity and the front seven has completely shut down the ground game of the opposition.
UNC is also playing to secure a bowl spot and it will be interesting to see how they come out this week after another quick bye week.
UNC vs. Wake Forest Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how UNC and Wake Forest match up statistically:
Wake Forest Offense vs. North Carolina Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 26 | 80 | |
| Line Yards | 51 | 122 | |
| Pass Success | 60 | 50 | |
| Havoc | 44 | 48 |  |
| Finishing Drives | 114 | 73 | |
| Quality Drives | 77 | 74 | |
North Carolina Offense vs. Wake Forest Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 37 | 122 | |
| Line Yards | 17 | 111 | |
| Pass Success | 82 | 123 | |
| Havoc | 35 | 128 | |
| Finishing Drives | 34 | 87 | |
| Quality Drives | 49 | 124 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 7 | 22 |
| PFF Coverage | 81 | 105 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 65 | 68 |
| Middle 8 | 53 | 34 |
| Seconds per Play | 23.7 (12) | 25.6 (33) |
| Rush Rate | 51% (98) | 55% (52) |
How to Bet My Wake Forest vs. UNC Pick
This rivalry game is the oldest intercollegiate rivalry played within the state of North Carolina and the series history is littered with close, highly contested battles. Let’s dive into the numbers here.
Wake Forest has gone more run-heavy this year offensively, but the slow mesh is really used to set up “pop-passes” off of it.
The rush numbers typically look inefficient from a “per carry” standpoint, but the scheme does draw the defense up and allow for explosive passes behind the linebackers.
UNC's defense played well against two of the weaker offensives in the ACC the last couple of weeks, but the stop unit has been prone to surrendering big plays all season before that and could certainly revert to form in this one.
UNC has been wildly inefficient this year throwing the football. The Heels rank just 132nd nationally in EPA Per Pass and 131st in Pass Play Success Rate. Wake Forest's defense has not been a successful unit this year but should be able to do enough against the pass here to make it difficult on quarterback Jacolby Criswell.
The Heels have been able to gash the opposition on the ground much of the year, as the offense is averaging 202 yards on the ground with a 5.0 yards per carry average.
Over the last three weeks, Wake has played really well against the run, limiting opponents to just 88 yards per game during that stretch with a 3.16 yards per carry average.
The Demon Deacons were shredded on the ground by Clemson, Ole Miss and Louisiana but outside of that have played really solid run defense. The numbers make their performance seem much worse than they have been.
Wake Forest is 3-0 on the road this season with wins over NC State, UConn and Stanford. The Heels have been a poor home favorite over the years and are 0-5 against the spread at home this season.
While recent performances make it easy to back UNC, it's hard to lay too many points in a rivalry game that is important to both schools. T
he series history suggests a close game and I like what I have seen in recent weeks from Wake. This game should be back and forth and I still cannot trust a weak UNC defense to completely shut down this Wake Forest offense.
Grab that boatload of points and strap in for what should be a fun game.
Pick: Wake Forest +11 (Play to +10)
Wake Forest vs UNC Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC |
| Date: | Saturday, Nov. 16 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ACC Network |
Wake Forest vs UNC Betting Trends
Wake Forest vs UNC Weather
