UNC Football: Opening odds for the Tar Heels’ Holiday Bowl matchup against Oregon

This afternoon we learned that the Tar Heels will fly out west to take on the Oregon Ducks in the Holiday Bowl. It will be the first time ever that the Heels have played a bowl game in California, but it will also be a very tough place to win at. The Ducks are currently ranked #15th in the country, and it is also pretty much a home game for them unless Tar Heel fans decide to make the long trip. There will also be some notable absences in this game from UNC’s roster, though who will be missing has yet to be determined.

When it comes to how Vegas is viewing this game, the opening odds for the Holiday Bowl are Oregon -9.5 according to Draftkings.com. It’s not very surprising that Oregon is favored in this game, but much like the Tar Heels, they may have some players opt out of this one in order to get ready for the NFL Draft and/or they will hit the transfer portal. It’s worth noting that for the Tar Heels quarterback Jacolby Criswell and linebacker RaRa Dillworth already announced that they are transferring, and we may hear more names before the Holiday Bowl. All of this is to say that UNC and Oregon’s rosters will be unpredictable, but it’s hard to imagine a world where the Ducks don’t have the edge over the Heels regardless.

The Holiday Bowl will take place on December 28th at 8 PM/ET. It will be broadcasted nationally on Fox, and you can purchase tickets for the game by clicking here.