Army vs Wake Forest NCAAF Week 8 Picks and Odds

Army vs Wake Forest Betting Preview

WagerTalk college football handicapper Tony Finn offers his Army vs Wake Forest betting preview for Saturday, October 23 at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York. At the time of posting, the Demon Deacons are 3-point road favorites over the Black Knights with the total sitting at 52.5 points.

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Army vs Wake Forest NCAAF Predictions

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-0 overall, 4-0 ACC) vs. Army Black Knights (4-2)
Total: 52.5 Points
Wake Forest is 1-8-1 against the spread in the Demon Deacons’ last ten games as a road favorite.
Army has won its last ten home games.

College Football enters Week 8 of the regular season and the highest-ranked team from the ACC isn’t the Clemson Tigers or the North Carolina Tar Heels but rather the No. 16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Winston-Salem-based private research university has had two weeks to prepare for a Week 8 matchup against the Army Black Knight.

The Deacs ready for their third true road game of the season. The handicap for this Saturday’s high noon event tells you everything you need to know about the matchup. Wake are currently 3-point road favorites and will be tested with the Black Knights triple-option scheme. Army won’t throw the ball when expected and overall, this season has thrown passes on less than 10 percent of their plays.

The Demon Deacons did enough against Syracuse to earn an overtime win. The dynamic duo of tailbacks Sean Tucker and Garrett Shrader exposed the Wake Achilles. The two running backs combined for 323 yards rushing. The Deacs scuffled to slow the two down in the Carrier Dome in Week 6.

Wake has struggled against the run the entire season. It took a pair of overtimes for the Deacs to earn the win vs the Orange in their last game. Running the football isn’t the Demon Deacons’ strength. Wake Forest has found ways to win via the forward pass. The 6-0 ACC program has an average of over 300 yards passing per game on the road this season.

The Demon Deacons have been perfect in straight-up results but have covered the game number just two times, as -4.5-point favorites vs Florida State and as 3.5-point road dogs at Virginia. The Black Knights have dropped two straight, both road contests, losing 28-16 at Ball State and 20-14 in Madison to the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers victory over Army revealed Whiskey’s offensive deficiencies. Wisconsin never presented any form of desperation in the six-point win over the Black Knights, but they never generated any momentum that made you feel like they could score if the situation called for it. The Badgers never threatened to cover the 14-point handicap they were issuing Army in what was 20-14 Whiskey victory in Madison.

The last two contests for the Demon Deacons have been challenging and hard-fought victories. Wake recorded a season-opening win over Old Dominion 42-10, followed by an impressive victory over Norfolk State 41-16, and on home, turf defeated Florida State 35-14. The Deacs were on the road in their win over Virginia 37-17, returned home to defeat Louisville 37-34, and were back in hostile territory to win their sixth straight over Syracuse 40-37.

Wake is putting an undefeated season to the test against an Army team that is averaging nearly 300 yards rushing per game. The Knights come into the game averaging 367.5 per contest this season.

Wake Forest has played with a lead for most of the first half of the season. They have avoided being overpowered in the trenches by a strong running program, but that is what they face on Saturday. The Deacs offense averages a spectacular 38.7 points per game and 441.5 total yards per contest.

Defensively, the front seven has let Wake down. Two weeks of prep time for the Army triple-option likely won’t prevent the Knights from approaching 300 yards on the ground. Wake will want to slow the Knights from scoring their season average of 31 ppg or they will be on the wrong side of the winning slash line at the game’s end.

Army presents Wake with a rushing attack that will stress them defensively. The military school’s strength is its defensive secondary.

Wake Forest has been situationally fortunate. The Deacs are not so efficient that they dominate opposing defenses with gashing runs, and they are pedestrian as a red zone offense with a middling percentage of scoring touchdowns when inside of the opponent’s 20-yard line.

The Black Knights’ quarterback, Christian Anderson, is expected to return to his starting role in Saturday’s event. Wake’s challenge will be standing tall on third downs and prohibiting Army from controlling the time of possession.

Wake pushed 40-points to the Carrier Dome scoreboard but will be seriously challenged to duplicate what they did offensively against the Army stop unit.

The Demon Deacons starting quarterback Sam Hartman completed 19 of 32 passes for 330 yards, 3 touchdowns, and just 1 interception. Running back Christian Beal-Smith rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Wake allowed a ridiculous 514 total yards and 33 first downs to Syracuse with 334 of those yards via the running game.

The fortunate Wake Forest Demon Deacons struggle to stop the Army triple-option and find tackling the option scheme difficult. Army has the 10th best rushing defense (yards gained against), the 5th best defense against the run (rushing yards allowed) and sits atop FBS football in opponent rushes per game.

The Black Knights will do its military best to create a situation where Wake Forest is playing from behind and chasing the scoreboard. The Deacs are not prepared for the grind of the Army’s long and monotonous drives and come up short in offensive scoring opportunities because of Army’s game control. The lean in this non-conference contest is a play on the Black Knight’s as home underdogs getting that all-important hook on the field goal handicap.

💰Who’s ready to Bet On It?! Join @kellyinvegas @MarcoInVegas @Greek_Gambler and @CalSportsLV as we break down this week’s NCAAF card with a look toward Notre Dame vs USC; Oregon vs UCLA; Utah vs Oregon State; and a couple ‘dogs that have some bite.https://t.co/04KQ0UjDqW

— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) October 20, 2021

Army vs Wake Forest Analysis from The GoldSheet

Undefeated and possessing a top-15 ranking, Wake Forest is riding high at 6-0. Now, head coach Dave Clawson’s job is to remind his team that fame can be fleeting, and hope the Deacs didn’t strut around campus feeling too full of themselves during the bye week. Army is coming off a hard-fought visit to Wisconsin, and the Black Knights acquitted themselves well, giving the Badgers all they wanted in a 20-14 loss (but they got the cover!). After facing the nation’s No. 2 defense, the Army offense should find Wake’s No. 92-ranked run defense much more inviting than Jim Leonhard’s gnarly Wisconsin front end. The extra week to prep is a bit of an advantage for Wake, but with the crucial business end of the ACC schedule still ahead, the Deacs might have worked on upcoming conference foes as much as the West Point option.

Army vs Wake Forest Video Preview

Interesting game in West Point on Saturday as Army hosts undefeated Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons don’t find themselves as undefeated road favorites too often. How will they handle the role? WagerTalk college football handicappers Kelly Stewart, Dave Cokin and Adam Trigger offer their Army vs Wake Forest predictions.

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