Clemson vs Wake Forest Odds, Spread and Picks
- Clemson is 4.5-point home favorite over #10 Wake Forest on Saturday
- Wake Forest would win the ACC Atlantic Division with a victory
- A look at the matchup and odds can be found below with a prediction
#10 Wake Forest can win a division title and vanquish a longtime nemesis when it visits Clemson at 12:00 p.m. ET Saturday in an ACC game at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C.
Wake Forest (9-1, 6-0 ACC) will become Atlantic Division champion with a victory. The Demon Deacons would also notch their first win over Clemson since 2008. Clemson (7-3, 5-2) is on a three-game winning streak and still alive in the Atlantic chase. However, the Tigers will miss the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2017.
Despite the lesser record, the Tigers are favorites in a game that will be televised by ESPN.
Wake Forest vs Clemson Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | +172 | +4.5 (-110) | Over 57.5 (-106) |
| Clemson | -215 | -4.5 (-110) | Under 57.5 (-114) |
Odds as of November 17th at FanDuel
Clemson opened as a 3.5-point favorite and the line has gone up a point. The weather forecast for Saturday calls for 54 degrees and sunny.
Wake Forest Bounces Back
Wake Forest bounced back from its lone loss of the season by beating North Carolina State 45-42 last Saturday at home to take control of the Atlantic race.
Creating special moments 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 🎩 pic.twitter.com/Zfx3RiZHr4
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) November 14, 2021
Quarterback Sam Hartman accounted for four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing, but had an uneven performance. He completed just 20-of-47 passes and was intercepted three times while finishing with 290 yards.
Hartman had been picked just five times in his first nine games.
Justice Ellison managed just 56 yards rushing on 17 attempts. However, he had a touchdown reception and ran for two scores, including from four yards with 1:47 left that extended Wake Forest’s lead to 45-35.
Justice Ellison punches it in to put @WakeFB up 45-35 🎩 pic.twitter.com/P7pTpJ55PB
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 14, 2021
North Carolina State scored with 45 seconds remaining. The Wolfpack nearly recovered the onside kick but grabbed the bouncing ball before it reached the 10-yard requirement to secure possession. Hartman did come through with two big third-down passes on the game-sealing drive, connecting with Donald Stewart for 12 yards and Taylor Morin for 14.
Wake Forest is second in the nation in scoring offense at 44.7 points a game and its 498.5 total yards a game rank seventh.
Though Clemson isn’t playing up to its usual lofty standards, its defense could still give the Demon Deacons problems. The Tigers are third in scoring defense (15.3) and 11th in total defense (310.0).
Clemson Offense Keeps Struggling
While Clemson’s defense is championship-caliber, the Tigers offense has struggled all season. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has been unable to fill the shoes of Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in this past year’s NFL Draft.
Uiagalelei has completed just 54.9% of his passing attempts for 1,752 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Clemson is 99th in the country in scoring offense (24.4) and 111th in total offense (344.7).
D.J. Uiagalelei's third down pass is incomplete, and the fans storm the field pic.twitter.com/MKIBJG0UU3
— Andrew Schnittker (@aschnitt53) September 25, 2021
Even in a 44-7 rout of lowly Connecticut last week, Uiagalelei failed to impress. He was 21-of-44 passing for 241 yards with one TD and one pick before leaving in the third quarter with a sprained knee ligament.
Uiagalelei sustained the injury a week earlier in a week over Louisville and is expected to play Saturday.
Backup Taisun Phommachanh attempted only one pass and completed it for 33 yards before being injured. Clemson used four quarterbacks.
🏈 Taisun Phommachanh
🎶 Barcarolle pic.twitter.com/gP3bLL7xh9— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) September 23, 2019
Defense is not Wake Forest’s strong point, though. The Demon Deacons are allowing averages of 29.1 points (90th) and 440.0 total yards (111th).
Meanwhile, Clemson’s defense was impenetrable against UConn as it allowed allowing 99 total yards, including minus-17 rushing. The Huskies were 0 for 14 on third down and 0 for 4 on fourth down.
Wake Forest vs Clemson Injury Report
Injuries have been a problem all season for Clemson, and it will be without standout junior wide receiver Justyn Ross, who will undergo season-ending foot surgery this week.
He really said 💪💪
D.J. Uiagalelei ➡️ Justyn Ross for another TD 😤 @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/IheFMduu7R
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 11, 2021
Two other offensive starters, lineman Matt Bockhorst and tight end Braden Galloway, have already been lost for the season. Phommachanh is questionable and Uiagalelei is playing on only one good leg.
Wake Forest was without cornerbacks Gavin Holmes and Caelen Carson last week then lost receiver Jaquarii Roberson during the game. All are questionable for Saturday.
Wake Forest vs Clemson Prediction
Wake Forest hasn’t won at Death Valley since 1998 but it isn’t facing the same old Clemson this time.
Look for Hartman and the offense to score enough points to give the Demon Deacons the victory and keep them on pace for their first ACC championship since 2006.
- The Pick: Wake Forest moneyline +172
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
