Clemson vs. Wake Forest Prediction, Picks & Odds: Week 7
The Clemson Tigers (4-1) play their first game as an AP top-10 team this year when they visit the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-3) in an ACC rivalry game on Saturday at noon ET on ESPN.
- Clemson is favored by 20.5 points across our best sportsbooks
- The Tigers have won four straight games since a Week 1 loss to Georgia and 15 consecutive games head-to-head against Wake Forest
- Head coach Dabo Swinney set the record last week for the most wins at an ACC school (174)
Our Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction backs the home underdogs and the near three-touchdown point spread, knowing this could be a big letdown spot for the Tigers as part of our college football Week 7 predictions.
Best Clemson vs. Wake Forest picks
College football picks based on the odds from our best college football betting sites. Odds subject to change.
- Against the spread pick: Wake Forest +20.5 (-105 via BetMGM) vs. Clemson ⭐⭐⭐
- My best bet: Cade Klubnik Over 2.5 passing touchdowns (+115 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clemson vs. Wake Forest against the spread prediction: Week 7
Wake Forest to cover the spread: +20.5 (-105) ⭐⭐⭐
Clemson vs. Wake Forest opening odds:
- Clemson: -20.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
- Wake Forest: +20.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
Letdown spot for the Tigers
Clemson’s game against Florida State last week lost a lot of its shine when the Seminoles entered with a 1-4 record. However, there is no doubt that winning that game in Tallahassee meant a lot to the Tigers.
Not only did it help Dabo Swinney break Bobby Bowden’s record for most wins at an ACC school, but the Seminoles were coming off an undefeated season and entered this year as the team to beat in the conference.
After heading home to face Virginia next week and a bye the week after, Clemson starts November with a gauntlet of games against Louisville (home), Virginia Tech (away), and Pittsburgh (away).
Not to mention, Wake Forest has been a thorn in Clemson’s side the last two years, with those games being decided by a combined 11 points and the last game in Winston Salem going two overtimes.
Wake Forest’s success under Dave Clawson
Swinney is not the only successful head coach in this matchup.
Since the start of the 2016 season, which was Dave Clawson’s third year as the Wake Forest head coach, the Demon Deacons have the fourth-most wins in the ACC (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season).
Their 37 wins from 2018-22 were the second-most in a five-year span in school history. And Wake Forest ranks in the top 10 nationally and second in the ACC with 103 passing touchdowns since the start of the 2021 season.
Clemson overvalued amid recent success
Since a season-opening 34-3 loss to Georgia, Clemson has averaged 48.5 points per game and outscored its opponents 194-82.
However, the Tigers have not faced a team ranked inside the top 60 of the SP+ rankings. Wake Forest’s No. 56 Offensive SP+ ranking is the highest of any team Clemson has faced since the Bulldogs, and the Demon Deacons should pose issues with a passing offense that ranks 28th nationally - along with a special teams unit that ranks in the top 20 nationally in net punting and punt return average.
I would not put any Wake Forest backers off of waiting to see if the line climbs to +21 on its own. But given that all of our best sports betting apps are split between spreads of +20 and +20.5, it is not likely the spread ever reaches three touchdowns.
Thus, getting the Demon Deacons at +20.5 is a three-star play and one I am making at BetMGM, which is the only sportsbook offering that number at less than the standard -110 juice.
Best odds: -105 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 51.22%
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Clemson vs. Wake Forest best bet
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Cade Klubnik Over 2.5 passing touchdowns (+115) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clemson has scored 48 or more points in three of the last five meetings with Wake Forest. And with an O/U of 60.5 points and an opposing Wake Forest offense that ranks in the top 60 in scoring, there should be game pressure on Klubnik and Co. to put up points offensively.
The Tigers have developed into more of a passing offense this year. Their 167 pass attempts compared to 160 rushing attempts only seems balanced because of game script and taking their foot off the gas in many contests.
The Demon Deacons allow 291.4 passing yards per game (126th), and they've surrendered three passing touchdowns in two of the previous four weeks with two TDs in the other two weeks.
I would not play this number if I was not getting generous plus-money odds, and this line is much more enticing than the steep odds to back the Over on a line of 1.5 passing touchdowns.
Klubnik has surpassed this total in three of the last four weeks, and as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the country with a 14-1 TD-INT ratio over the last four games, it is a no-brainer to take advantage of this 46.51% implied probability at bet365.
Caesars offered +116 odds to back the Over earlier in the week, but those have since shortened to +106, leaving the best value at bet365. Through bet365’s +115 odds, a $10 winning wager would net $11.50 in profits.
Best odds: +115 via bet365 | Implied probability: 46.51%
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Clemson vs. Wake Forest odds
See all of this week's college football odds and NCAAF scores.
Clemson vs. Wake Forest game info
- When: Saturday, Oct. 12
- Kickoff: Noon ET
- Where: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Winston Salem, N.C.)
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 77 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, wind 6 mph W
- Favorite: Clemson -20.5 (-115 via BetMGM)
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