Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. UNC Tar Heels Odds & Game Pick (2021)

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are pushing for a perfect season. They’re 8-0 on the year and have a big test on the road against North Carolina. The Tar Heels are underperformed all season long and are now 4-4 on the year.

At the start of the season, many would’ve thought, at this time, North Carolina would be the undefeated team between these two teams. But that hasn’t been the case. Instead, North Carolina continues to be inconsistent while the Wake Forest offense continues to be lights out.

If you like trends, North Carolina has traded wins and losses in their last five games, and after losing to Notre Dame last week, they’d be in a position to knock off Wake Forest this week. But, of course, a win from UNC wouldn’t shock the world, as North Carolina is currently a favorite to defeat Wake Forest.

With that said, here are our picks and predictions for this ACC matchup between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the North Carolina Tear Heels.

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Details

• Opening Line: UNC -2.5, O/U 75.5
• Current Line: UNC -2.5, O/U 76.5
• Last meeting: November 14, 2020, North Carolina 59, Wake Forest 53

Overview 

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are keeping things close night in and night out. Despite beating up Duke last week, 45-7, they’ve been playing in some tight games. But great teams can find a way to win, and that’s what Wake Forest has done.

The offense is averaging 43.4 points per game while averaging 495.4 yards per game. The offensive line has done wonders for future NFL prospect Sam Hartman, and the Wake Forest offense is just a pleasure to watch.

Hartman has thrown 22 touchdowns and three interceptions through eight games this season. He’s also exploded for nearly 2500 yards passing on the year with just 163 completions.

Meanwhile, the defense has held opponents to 23.9 points per game and has put together an incredible secondary that has allowed only 219.8 yards per game in the air.

Still,  Wake Forest allows 421.5 yards per game and more than 200 yards on the ground. So there are ways to beat them. However, these numbers are a bit skewed after having to face Army.

On the other hand, North Carolina averages 36.5 points per game and gives up 30.8 points per game. The defense is flat-out average at best and doesn’t do any one thing well. On offense, the run game has been spectacular for the Tar Heels, averaging over 200 yards per game.

If the Tar Heels want to win this game, they must have success rushing the football, and they’ll also need to score a lot. This game reached over 100 points in 2020, so there’s good reason to think we’ll see points in this game.

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Trends 

• Demon Deacons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points.
• Over is 8-0 in Tar Heels last 8 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.

Bottom Line 

Wake Forest has a solid defense led by an excellent secondary. But it’s hard to think that either of these defenses can consistently get stops in this game. We saw this exact game total over 100 points last year, and between two of the top ACC quarterbacks in the league, that shouldn’t change.

Sam Hartman of Wake Forest and Sam Howell of North Carolina have combined to throw for 41 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the top running backs on both sides have totaled 16 touchdowns through eight games.

It’s crazy to think an undefeated Wake Forest is an underdog against a 4-4 club, but this is the one game that will scare Wake Forest fans because they know UNC’s offense can stick around and do the same as Wake.

Instead of picking a side, let’s root for points, even with a number at 76.5. I’m not afraid!

Pick: Over 76.5 (-110)

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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.