Week 12 College Football Free Picks: Clemson At Wake Forest

Posted by Henry Watkins on Wednesday,November 16, 2016 8:51, EDT in

I think we can all agree that last weekend was one of the most shocking in college football history. After all, when was the last time that we saw 3 of the top 4 ranked teams fall to defeat on the same day? The biggest surprise heading into this weekend is that 2 of those teams still occupy a playoff spot, but they must be aware that there is now no margin for error in the final couple of weeks of the regular season. Of all those defeats, the one that Clemson took at the hands of the Pitt Panthers may have been the least surprising. I say that because Clemson had already dodged a few bullets in previous weeks, and it felt like only a matter of time before some team could capitalize on the sloppy play of the Tigers. Clemson now has a pair of winnable games left in the regular season, but they must also win the ACC Championship Game if they are to once again be in the final 4. The Tigers come into this one as a 22.5-point favorite.

A Closer Look At The Week 12 College Football Free Picks: Tigers At Demon Deacons

When: Saturday, November 19 at 7 PM EST
Where: BB&T Field, Winston-Salem
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
NCAAF Odds: TBA

 

 

Why bet on the Clemson Tigers

The Tigers had over 600 yards of total offense in the 43-42 loss to Pitt last weekend, including an incredible 580 passing yards from DeShaun Watson. Those numbers are staggering, but the problem was that Watson also threw 3 picks, the final of which gave the Panthers the opportunity to get into position for the game winning field goal. This is an incredibly talented team, but one that has underwhelmed too many times this season, oftentimes against lesser opponents. Clemson Tigers is just 5-5 ATS this season, and their last two meetings with Wake Forest have seen the Tigers win by an average of 17 points. All of this makes you wonder if they can cover the spread.

Why bet on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons

If the Demon Deacons are to spring the upset this coming weekend, they need to follow a similar game plan to the one that they delivered in the first half against Louisville last weekend. In that game, the defense effectively shut down Lamar Jackson, who has a very similar playing style as DeShaun Watson. That defensive play allowed Wake Forest to maintain a lead, but it was one that they couldn’t hold, as they were unable to keep Jackson at bay for the full four quarters. The Demon Deacons are certainly no match for the Clemson Tigers on the offensive side of the football, but it should be noted that they are 5-1 ATS versus conference foes this season, so perhaps they can keep things close.

 

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Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I think that this is a game that Clemson will win, but I’m not so sure it will be as comfortable as many people are suggesting. I like Wake Forest to keep it close until the late stages of the game, and that means they cover.

Clemson Tigers 35 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 17