Wake Forest vs. Clemson Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 6
By Josh Yourish
Last week, the Clemson Tigers got right back on track with a 31-14 win over Syracuse, but they’re still just 3-2 with two ACC losses. To really get back into the mix after losses to Duke and Florida State, the Tigers will need to finish off the conference slate unblemished and next up is the 3-1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Last week, the Clemson Tigers got right back on track with a 31-14 win over Syracuse, but they’re still just 3-2 with two ACC losses. To really get back into the mix after losses to Duke and Florida State, the Tigers will need to finish off the conference slate unblemished and next up is the 3-1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest suffered its first loss of the season in Week 4 to Georgia Tech and then had a bye in Week 5. That loss was a tough one for quarterback Mitch Griffis and he’ll be trying to bounce back as an underdog on Saturday. We’ll dive deep into this matchup, but you can also get a wider view of the CFB landscape with BetSided college betting expert Reed Wallach’s weekly column and preview.
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Wake Forest vs. Clemson Odds, Spread and Total
Clemson vs. Wake Forest Betting Trends
- Clemson is 2-3 ATS
- The UNDER is 3-3 in Clemson games
- Wake Forest is 1-3 ATS
- The UNDER is 2-0-2 in Wake Forest games
Wake Forest vs. Clemson How to Watch
- Date: Saturday, October 7
- Time: 3:30 PM EST
- Venue: Memorial Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): ACCN
- Wake Forest Record: 3-1
- Clemson Record: 3-2
Wake Forest vs. Clemson Key Players to Watch
Wake Forest
Justice Ellison, RB: Demond Claiborne is the No. 1 running back in the Wake backfield with 63 carries to Ellison’s 44, but Ellison has been far more efficient. Ellison is going for 5.7 yards per carry to Claiborne’s 4.9 and last game against Georgia Tech, Ellison led the team with 137 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Clemson
Tyler Brown, WR: Last week, Brown emerged as the top receiver for Cade Klubnik. Brown went for 151 yards on eight catches and now leads the team with 21 grabs for 316 yards. Brown also has two touchdowns and is averaging 15.0 yards per reception.
Wake Forest vs. Clemson Prediction and Pick
Week 4 was a really tough one for Mitch Griffis. The Wake Forest sophomore threw three interceptions against Georgia Tech to bring his total to six on the season. Those weren’t Wake’s only turnovers of the game, the offense also lost two fumbles. The Demon Deacons were able to run for 224 yards in that game, but only gained 4.7 yards per play.
Wake Forest’s offense is the type of unit that values quantity over quality. The offense is No. 1 in the country in plays per game, averaging 84.7, but the Demon Deacons are 81st in yards per play at 5.6. They are also 11th in rushing attempts per game, but 90th in yards per rush.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are 62nd in yards per play and 11th in plays per game, so it’s a similar model, despite being a very different offense. Garrett Riley’s offense is 11th in pass attempts and completions with a very high completion percentage, but are still 87th in yards per attempt because of so many short passes. Cade Klubnik is only averaging 6.8 yards per attempt.
Clemson has a great defense which is top 10 in total defense and yards per play, but I don’t trust the team to cover a three touchdown spread. The Tigers offense is just too inefficient, so despite the very high number of plays per game, which typically correlates to overs, I’m taking the under. The under is a combined 5-2-2 between these two teams this season.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change