Friday NCAA Football: Eckel picks North Carolina at Wake Forest and Kansas at Boston College

Two games Friday night, one involving two ACC teams in a non-conference game and an ACC-Big 12 battle have our interest.

North Carolina at Wake Forest (-3), 6 p.m. ESPN

I was in the lovely little town of Chapel Hill last spring while attending the ACC Baseball Tournament in Durham and the hot selling t-shirt was a Carolina Blue front with MACK IS BACK in white letters across the front.

Mack Brown’s return to UNC had the Tar Heel faithful fired up three months before the season started and with successive come-from-behind wins over rival South Carolina and ACC rival Miami to start the season, that enthusiasm hasn’t waned.

Brown and The Heels travel down the road to Winston Salem to take on Wake Forest, also off to a 2-0 start with wins over Utah State and Rice.

Freshman quarterback Sam Howell has been a revelation for the Tar Heels engineering both fourth-quarter come-back victories. Running back Jovanta Williams has also run well in both wins.

Can Brown and UNC get to 3-0 on the season? I’m thinking they can. Wake is 5-11-1 against the spread in its last 17 games and even more dreadful 2-8 at home against the spread.

Take the Heels and the points and I wonder if I can still get one of those t-shirts?

Pick: North Carolina + 3

Kansas at Boston College (-20 1/2), 7:30, ACC Network

While Mack Brown has Tar Heels fan excited, it’s hasn’t gone as well so far for Les Miles and the Jayhawks.

Miles may win one day at Kansas. It just won’t be today.

Kansas is bad. They had to score late to beat Indiana State in its opener and then lost to Coastal Carolina last week, 12-7.

If the Jayhawks could score just one touchdown against CCU, how much do you think they’re going to score against BC?

Exactly.

Boston College will run all day with backs David Bailey and Al Dillon and this will be a blowout.

Pick: Boston College (-20 1/2)

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