ScoopDuck Predicts: Score Prediction vs North Carolina

It is finally game week Duck fans. Which means in just a few short days the Ducks and North Carolina will tangle in the Holiday bowl.

The beautiful Holiday bowl is one of the great bowl games of the season. And gives fans a chance to enjoy sunny Southern California in the Winter.

Both teams are short on players. Between the transfer portal and opt-outs, these two teams will look entirely different on Wednesday. Which of course will impact the score and the outcome.

For the final time this season, here are our predictions on how this one will play out.

Corpatty: Oregon 49, UNC 37

Both teams enter the Holiday Bowl with a skeleton crew of scholarship players due to NFL opt-outs and transfer portal losses.  So with the absence of a number of key players, back ups will be forced into extended action. This will likely result in both teams lighting up the scoreboard.  I think Oregon’s offense will be able to generate one or two more scores than Drake Maye and the NC offense and win this one in a shootout.   

Joel Gunderson: Oregon 51, UNC 34

Perhaps there’s some early-game rust, but I expect an offensive explosion out of Oregon, capping off a 10-win season. 

A health(ier) Nix, and a putrid UNC defense ensure that’s the case.

Oregon is coming off a fantastic signing day, and there’s momentum building toward 2023. While new OC Will Stein isn’t directly guiding the offense, it will be exciting to see if there are any wrinkles against the Tar Heels, whose defense is also dealing with opt-outs.

This game carries even more intrigue with Nix’s return. Given how the regular season ended, look for the oregon’s players and staff to go out with a bang.

Travis Rooke-ley: Oregon 45, North Carolina 35

I think we see a high-scoring affair with the Ducks able to capitalize on a depleted UNC secondary. I think Troy Franklin and Co. will have a big game, and Bo Nix rides a great performance into a Heisman-Buzz 2023 pre-season. Drake May is awesome, and he’ll get his points with the Ducks down some defenders as well. That said, I think we see the Ducks more motivated to come out and get to 10 wins in Lanning’s first year.

Jarrid Denney: Oregon 49, North Carolina 31

Oregon’s defense is going to struggle a bit without Christian Gonzalez, Noah Sewell, and DJ Johnson. 

But the Ducks’ offense shouldn’t miss a beat against a UNC defense that is also dealing with a few opt-outs. 

Bo Nix should be much closer to 100% healthy than he was a month ago, and Oregon’s veteran offensive linemen will be looking to make a statement in their final collegiate game. Looks for the Ducks’ offense to pile up points and win in blowout fashion. 

Jhop: Oregon 41, North Carolina 28

Well, hard to make a prediction in these games. It seems unless you’re playing for a national championship, the opt-out is the way to go. Bums me out as bowl season was one of my favorite times of year.

Oregon has Bo Nix and a pretty good team overall. Despite transfers or opt-outs, North Carolina might have even more losses. The bright side is this might let us see some new faces on the field getting more run than they normally would have gotten.

Because of Bo Nix, I have Oregon winning.