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Daily briefing: On North Carolina-Wake Forest, TCU-Texas and Oregon-Washington

Ivan Maiselby:Ivan Maisel•11/09/22•

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The past two North Carolina-Wake Forest games have been high-scoring, back-and-forth affairs. Will this one be the same? (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:

Will UNC-Wake be another score-fest?

We ought to go ahead and declare No. 15 North Carolina’s visit to Wake Forest on Saturday night an official “Lane Kiffin Get Your Popcorn Game.” The Tar Heels beat the Demon Deacons 58-55 last season in a game that had more lead changes (seven) than punts (six). In 2020, North Carolina won 59-53 in a game that also featured seven lead changes. Another characteristic both games shared – the Tar Heels dominated the fourth quarter. Wake (6-3 overall, 2-3 in the ACC) rose as high as No. 11 in the AP poll this season but has lost two in a row. North Carolina (8-1, 5-0) can clinch its first Coastal Division title since 2015 and only its second outright with a victory. Think about that: North Carolina has won the Coastal outright only once. Hard to believe.

TCU can clinch spot in Big 12 title game

Speaking of big second-half comebacks, No. 4 TCU plays at No. 18 Texas on Saturday night, and the teams fit together like “Horned” and “Frog.” Texas has made a habit of building early leads and frittering them away in the second half. TCU spots opponents big leads, then roars back after halftime. Should the Hypnotoads win, they clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. Don’t forget, when Sonny Dykes took over this team last December, he scheduled three winter conditioning workouts and the team responded with a cumulative 37 absences. Looks like the Frogs decided they want to play for him.

Oregon-Washington a hidden gem of a rivalry

No. 25 Washington plays at No. 6 Oregon on Saturday night in one of my favorite hidden rivalries. We all know the Iron Bowl and Bedlam and Michigan-Ohio State. We know that Oregon has the Civil War and Washington the Apple Cup. But the Ducks and the Huskies play each other with a high level of enmity. Oregon has won 20 of the past 26, beginning with the immortal 97-yard pick-six by Ducks cornerback Kenny Wheaton in 1994. Instead of the Huskies going in for the winning score, Wheaton went the other way with Damon Huard’s pass and Oregon won 31-20. There aren’t many one-play heroes in college football, guys who do something so memorable on one snap that an entire fan base will buy the beer for the rest of the player’s life. Wheaton’s on that list.