Notre Dame didn’t look great against Vanderbilt at home last week, and now the Fighting Irish face a tricky visit to battle Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
If Vanderbilt had taken advantage of their opportunities last weekend then Notre Dame could easily be headed to Wake Forest coming off a loss this week. As it stands, Brian Kelly’s team did just enough to win a home win against the Commodores. They’ll need to play better this week to maintain their unblemished record.
Wake Forest does enter the matchup coming off a tough home loss against Boston College. Specifically, the Demon Deacons’ secondary was lit up by a pretty pedestrian Eagles’ passing game. Dave Clawson’s team will need to play much better on defense if they want to pull off the upset.
This game could easily boil down to a battle between two very different quarterbacks. Notre Dame needs more out of veteran signal caller Brandon Wimbush. He played really well against Michigan in the opener but he’s been a liability ever since. Wimbush comes into this game with just one touchdown pass compared to four interceptions. He needs to correct that ratio against a pretty soft Deacons’ secondary. If he turns the football over, it’s going to equal trouble for the Irish.
True freshman Sam Hartman will get the starting nod for the Deacs. He’s got a cannon for an arm, but he made some costly errors last week against Boston College. He also needs to take care of the football in this one if his team is going to come out on top. It’s also worth noting that Kendall Hinton will be eligible for Wake Forest for the first time this season. He was originally expected to be the starter before being suspended for the first three games. If Hartman struggles, look for Clawson to go with Hinton.
How to watch and bet on Notre Dame at Wake Forest
Date: Saturday, Sep. 22
Start Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Venue: BB&T Field
TV Info: ABC I Fubo TV
Odds: Notre Dame -7.5
The trick here is not to get caught up in the names on the jerseys. The tradition of Notre Dame isn’t taking on Wake Forest in this matchup. Make your evaluations based on what you’ve actually seen to open the season.
That doesn’t mean Notre Dame won’t come out on top. Their passing game should be enough to outscore the Deacons in this one. Look for Hartman to make one too many mistakes for Wake Forest to spring the upset.
Feel free to bet on the Irish to win outright, but expecting them to cover is an entirely different matter. Back Notre Dame to win but Wake Forest to cover.
Prediction: Notre Dame wins a close one, but Wake Forest covers the spread.