As NCAA football betting darlings the Clemson Tigers prepare to host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, head coach Dabo Swinney called out fans who left Death Valley earlier the weekend before last Clemson was tied with Boston College in the third quarter, and thus missed the Tigers whipping the Eagles 27-0 in the fourth. “We need our students to be there the whole game. And we need our fans to be there in the third quarter,” Swinney said.
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- Date: October 7
- Time: 12:05 PM
- Venue: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
- Sportsbook College Football Wagering Odds:
Wake Forest +21½ (-110) +1050
Clemson -21½ (-110) -1600
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said, of a Tigers defense that allowed Virginia Tech only 270 yards on Saturday, that it “can get a lot better.” Clemson allowed Louisville a maximum of 21 points and have limited opposing teams, which have included three ranked teams (thus making Clemson the first team in the AP poll era to defeat three top-15 teams in the first month of the season), to seven or fewer points on three occasions. Which begs the question, how much better can the defense get? Well, off the top of one’s head, they have yet to record a shutout, so that’s something to shoot for. In any case, the Tigers have allowed just 4.6 points per game in their last five home games, which would more than suffice to cover the 21½-point spread this Saturday, something which Clemson has failed to do in seven of their last 13 home games. The Tigers have, similarly, fell short of covering the NCAA football betting spread in their last three encounters with Wake Forest, though they have beat the Deacons eight straight times since 2009.
The Freakin’ Deacons not only have to snap their aforementioned 0-8 skid against Clemson, but also break Clemson’s own 14-0 straight-up October streak. That’s easier said than done, but if it’s any consolation to Wake Forest – and it isn’t – they a better chance of extending their ATS streak against the Tigers. WFU is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 road games. And speaking of streaks, the Deacs were 3-0 entering Saturday’s game against the Seminoles, who were winless at the time. Wake Forest couldn’t hold on to a three-point lead in the fourth quarter and conceded their first loss of the season, but the defense, which has allowed just 14.4 points per game was, as ever, a high point, and the main reason that the total has gone under in three of the Deacons’ five games, including the last two straight. To complement that, the total has gone under in nine of Clemson’s last 12 games at home against teams with winning records. On the other hand, the total has gone over in three of Wake Forest’s last four games against Clemson. This one looks like it’s going to be, on paper, a war of attrition between two mingy-stingy defenses, which would in turn seem to suggest the NCAA football betting total staying under.