Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction: Who wins, and why?

What to watch for as Clemson and Wake Forest meet in this Week 7 college football matchup, with our updated prediction for the game.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest Prediction, Preview / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

ACC football returns this weekend as No. 10 Clemson goes on the road in a matchup against Wake Forest in college football’s Week 7 action on Saturday. Here’s what you should watch for along with our updated prediction for the game.

Clemson inched back up the rankings after some big losses among higher-ranked teams last weekend, and is on a five-game win streak, ranking 16th in FBS in scoring production.

Wake Forest is 1-1 in ACC play thus far and its win against NC State last week snapped a three-game losing streak, but the Demon Deacons are 105th nationally in scoring defense.

What can we expect from the matchup this weekend?

Here’s what you should watch out for as Clemson and Wake Forest meet in this Week 7 college football game, along with our updated prediction.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction: What to watch

1. Air it out. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has 1,219 passing yards this season, good for sixth in the ACC and leading the nation’s 34th ranked passing attack while scoring 14 touchdowns against just 2 picks. Wake is last among ACC teams allowing 291 passing yards on average.

2. Quick starts. Clemson is 1st in FBS in point differential in the first quarter, averaging 18 points while allowing none so far from opponents, and its defense has 3 sacks and forced 5 turnovers in the opening frame while forcing 10 punts.

3. Ground and pound. Phil Mafah is 5th in the ACC with 496 rushing yards and 3rd with 99.2 yards per game and 7.3 yards per carry for Clemson, eclipsing 100 yards in 3 games this season. He’ll run into a Wake run stop that is third-worst in the ACC allowing 168.8 yards per game and is 99th nationally, surrendering 4.72 yards per carry.

What the analytics say

Most analytical models favor the Tigers to stay undefeated in ACC play with a win over the Deacons.

That includes the College Football Power Index, a computer prediction model that uses data points from both teams to simulate games 20,000 times to pick winners.

Clemson is projected to win the game outright in the majority 87.4 percent of the computer’s most recent simulations of the matchup.

That leaves Wake Forest as the expected winner in the remaining 12.6 percent of sims.

Clemson is projected to be 17.5 points better than Wake Forest on the same field in both teams’ current composition, according to the model’s latest forecast.

Who is favored?

Clemson is a 20.5 point favorite against Wake Forest, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel lists the total at 61.5 points for the game.

And it set the moneyline odds for Clemson at -1400 and for Wake Forest at +800 to win outright.

A slight majority of bettors are taking the Tigers over the Demon Deacons, according to the latest spread consensus picks.

About 53 percent of bets predict that Clemson will win the game and cover the spread.

The other 47 percent of wagers expect Wake Forest will keep the matchup under the big line.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction: Who wins?

Wake Forest averages a respectable 31 points per game behind the play of quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who has over 1,300 yards passing this season, but there are other vulnerabilities across the roster that play into Clemson’s advantages.

Wake will struggle to rush the passer consistently, ranking last in the ACC with 6 sacks recorded this year, its offensive line is overmatched by Clemson’s front seven, and the Deacons’ secondary will have trouble containing the Tigers’ rotation of deeper field threats.

College Football HQ picks ...

• Clemson wins 37-13
• Covers the spread
• And hits the under

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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