Belk Bowl Tickets

2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl Predictions The Meinke Car Care Bowl pits the North Carolina Tar Heels against the West Virginia Mountaineers on December 27 at 1 p.m. in Charlotte, N.C.

Both teams are likely to have a strong fan presence here as it is a relatively short trip for both schools. However, it is still a shorter drive for the Tar Heels and they should have a little home cooking.

Tar Heels fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing their team play in a bowl game for the first time in several seasons, as it seems that head coach Butch Davis is well on his way to turning this program around.

North Carolina probably would have won their division in the ACC had it not been for a number of injuries at key positions. It's actually a tremendous accomplishment that the Tar Heels were still able to win eight games.

Making it all the more impressive, three of North Carolina's four losses were by three points or less, which included losses to Virginia Tech and at Maryland and Virginia.

As for West Virginia, they are still all about the spread offense featuring speedy quarterback Pat White. He single-handedly keeps the Mountaineers in most of their games and can break off a big run at any moment.

The Mountaineers didn't beat any notable teams this year outside of a Thursday night home win over the unraveling Auburn Tigers. It is worth noting that the WVU defense has improved since last year, but their passing game is still a work in progress.

Prediction: North Carolina 27, West Virginia 16