College football: Will unranked North Carolina surprise Oregon with a Holiday Bowl upset?
San Diego, California - After making its second conference championship appearance ever, the North Carolina Tar Heels are looking to end their strong season with a Holiday Bowl win. But Oregon wants won't be giving up on a consolation prize after narrowly missing the College Football Playoff.
The Holiday Bowl will be the first time Oregon and North Carolina face off in a head-to-head battle on the gridiron.
The Tar Heels will enter the showdown after a big defeat to Clemson in the ACC championship game.
Similarly, Oregon is coming off a disappointment against in-state rival Oregon State during the regular-season.
Hungry to end the year off with a win, both programs will duke it out to add yet another trophy to their team's already rich list of bowl wins.
The ACC-Pac-12 showdown is expected to be a shootout, with two powerhouse quarterbacks at the helm.
Drake Maye, North Carolina's outstanding passer, has performed a Heisman-level production this season. He completed 35 touchdown passes and rushed for seven more as UNC’s leading rusher (653 yards). The redshirt freshman's campaign this season earned him the ACC Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year.
Leading the Ducks in San Diego will be veteran Bo Nix, who revealed on Monday to return to Oregon for one last season of college football.
Will UNC's loss of a top receiver be an advantage for Oregon?
Nix will be a huge asset for Oregon's offense and one of the key factors in a Holiday Bowl win for the program.
The senior passer led Oregon this season to eight consecutive games of scoring 40 points or more, and posted more than 30 points in two other showings.
He could have a banner day against a North Carolina secondary that was missing two starters in the ACC title game.
What's more, former No. 1 cornerback recruit Tony Grimes has entered the transfer portal, and won't be taking the field for UNC in the bowl game.
While Drake Maye's offensive squad could help make up for the struggling defense, his leading receiver Josh Downs has opted out of the bowl game for the NFL Draft.
Downs logged 1,029 yards on 94 receptions and 11 touchdowns this season. He also earned back-to-back First-Team All-ACC honors in 2021 and 2022, and leaves UNC as one of the best wide receivers in school history.
The Holiday Bowl clash between UNC and Oregon is set for December 28 at 8 PM EST.
Cover photo: Collage: Tom Hauck / EAKIN HOWARD / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP