This week, the Wolfpack Wager will take us to Winston-Salem, for the in-state matchup of NC State and No. 23 Wake Forest. For the other two games, we will look at the “world’s largest outdoor cocktail party” between No. 8 Georgia and No. 6 Florida in Jacksonville, and go up north to South Bend for No. 16 Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
NC State at No. 23 Wake Forest (-7.5)
NC State has not played well at all this season on the road, losing each of its three away games thus far to West Virginia, Florida State, and Boston College by a combined 56 points. However, with new starting quarterback redshirt freshman Devin Leary leading the offense, NC State (4-3, 1-2 ACC) has the chance to put up some big numbers against a suspect Wake Forest defense that is 10th in the ACC in passing yards allowed per game.
Wake Forest (6-1, 2-1 ACC) has proven that it can have an electric offense, led by quarterback Jamie Newman and wide receiver Sage Surratt. Newman could miss his second consecutive game, though, due to a shoulder injury, which could be a difference-maker in the game. Backup quarterback Sam Hartman did play well, though, in his first start of the season, leading Wake Forest to a home victory over Florida State.
For the past two seasons, this game has been a bone-breaker for NC State, as it was expected to win both. This year as the underdog, can the Wolfpack make some noise in Winston-Salem? The Demon Deacons have not beaten an ACC opponent yet by more than six points. Even with their dynamic offense, I wouldn’t bet on them beating the Wolfpack by more than a touchdown.
The Pick: (NC State +7.5)
No. 8 Georgia (-4) vs No. 6 Florida
The Bulldogs and Gators annual matchup in Jacksonville has returned, this time with both teams ranked in the top 10 and having SEC Championship and College Football Playoff aspirations.
Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC) in its last two games has struggled, with an embarrassing home loss to South Carolina and an ugly win at home last week against Kentucky, which saw them shutout in the first half. On the other hand, Florida (7-1, 4-1 SEC) is coming off a win on the road against South Carolina, and in the game before that competed well with No. 1 LSU in Death Valley.
This game will come down to which quarterback can make the most plays, and recently Kyle Trask for Florida has been making more than Jake Fromm for Georgia. Personally, I think Florida will win this game outright, but the fact they are underdogs makes this pick even easier when it comes to the spread.
The Pick: (Florida +4)
Virginia Tech at No. 17 Notre Dame (-17.5)
Virginia Tech, after a shaky start to the season, has straightened things out and won three consecutive games, against Miami, Rhode Island, and the 6-OT thriller against UNC-Chapel Hill. The Hokies (5-2, 2-2 ACC) are coming off a bye week with loads of confidence and energy heading into South Bend.
Notre Dame is proving once again that they are nowhere close to competing for a national championship, as people once said they were. The Fighting Irish (5-2) are coming off a 45-14 drubbing to Michigan in Ann Arbor, which saw them only put up 47 yards of total offense.
Notre Dame will likely find a way to win this game, but there is no reason that they deserve to be 17.5-point favorites. Expect Virginia Tech to keep this game close for four quarters and have a chance to pull off the upset in South Bend.
The Pick: (Virginia Tech +17.5)
Last week, Technician sports editor Camden Speight went 2-1, with Iowa only narrowly beating Purdue, Miami taking down Pitt, and Oklahoma and Kansas State blowing the over out of the water.
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