We have ranked ACC showdown to start us off on Saturday as the No. 5 Clemson Tigers hit the road to battle the No. 21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at noon ET. The game will take place at Truist Field in Winston-Salem, NC, and will air on ABC.
Clemson (3-0) was once again a little bit sleepy out the gate last Saturday, but eventually pulled away from Louisiana Tech for a 48-20 win. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei threw for two touchdowns while running back Will Shipley broke off 139 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Wake Forest (3-0) won a wild one last Saturday, edging Liberty for a 37-36 home victory. Tied 30-30 late in the contest, Justice Ellison put the Deacs back on top with a one-yard touchdown with 3:39 left in the ballgame. The Flames would zoom down the field to score a touchdown of their own, but failed on what would've been the go-ahead two-point conversion.
Here's all the data you'll want, and a pick for the game!
SP+ Rankings
Clemson: 7th overall, 34th offense, 2nd defense
Wake Forest: 42nd overall, 9th offense, 81st defense
Injury update
DE Xavier Thomas – Questionable (Foot)
DE Justin Foster – Questionable (Undisclosed)
DT Bryan Bresee – Questionable (Personal)
LS Jacob Zuhr – Questionable (Undisclosed)
ATS/Total
Clemson: 1-2 ATS
Wake Forest: 2-1 ATS
Clemson: Over 1-2
Wake Forest: Over 2-1
Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports
Clemson: 30th overall, 21st offense, 59th defense
Wake Forest: 39th overall, 20th offense, 60th defense
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Clemson -7.5
Total: 55.5
Moneyline: Clemson -285, Wake Forest +240
Opening line: Clemson -7.5
Opening total: 57
Weather
75 degrees, partly sunny, 8 MPH winds SSW
The Pick
This should be a matchup where Clemson locks in and handles its business on the road. Sam Hartman was a bit shaky last week against Liberty and will be under pressure for the entire game against Clemson's ferocious front seven. There are still question of Uiagalelei's effectiveness as the starter but the Tigers might have find that the their true power on offense is just feeding it to Shipley. Give me Clemson to cover in Winston-Salem here.