WVU Considered Favorite Over North Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Now that West Virginia’s bowl matchup is set, who do the oddsmakers think is going to win when WVU and North Carolina meet in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl?

West Virginia opened as a 3.5-point favorite by at least one major sportsbook. The over/under total for points scored is currently set at 55.5.

In this matchup, the 8-4 (6-3) Mountaineers will represent the Big 12 and meet a 8-4 (4-4) North Carolina Tar Heels team out of the ACC.

We’re thrilled to have @UNCFootball and @WVUfootball playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Check out the links below for all your travel info.

Tickets: https://t.co/K9SCSRd5GZ

Hotels: https://t.co/jbPI4UzIpW

Fan Events: https://t.co/0fI9qrf5gb pic.twitter.com/U9qjwd5Nfi

— Duke's Mayo Bowl (@DukesMayoBowl) December 3, 2023

The reasoning for WVU landing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl is due to the Big 12 having more bowl eligible teams than bowl slots with tie-ins and the SEC, who normally appears in this bowl game, having one fewer bowl eligible team than bowl slots available.

Even though Neal Brown and his team have already proved the many doubters wrong, reaching nine wins would still mean something for the WVU football program as a whole. A nine-win season in 2023 would be the best result for any West Virginia team since winning 10 in 2016.

And while Brown still has work to do in order to gain the full trust of the fans, capping off the year with a bowl win would certainly help his cause. Brown is currently 1-1 in bowl games with WVU, winning the Liberty Bowl over Army after the COVID-shortened 2020 season.