Wake Forest vs NC State picks and predictions for September 19

Nothing sums up college football betting more than the Wake Forest Demon Deacons losing 37-13 last weekend — and still easily covering the spread against the powerhouse Clemson Tigers.

Oddsmakers are expecting a much closer matchup for Wake Forest in Week 3, installing them as 2.5-point underdogs on the road against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. 

We break down the NCAA football odds with our free picks and predictions for Wake Forest vs. NC State on Saturday, September 19, with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs NC State Wolfpack betting preview

Weather

We're expecting a cool and wet night at Parker-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina with temperatures in the high-50's and a 0% percent chance of rain. Wind is being clocked at 8 miles per hour. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.

Key Injuries

Wake Forest: Trey Rucker DB (Questionable), Terrance Davis OL (Out)
NC State: Louis Acceus LB (Out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Wolfpack are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 conference games. Find more NCAA football betting trends for Wake Forest vs. NC State.

Against the spread (ATS) pick

Don't take away too much from Wake Forest's first game of the year: there's a good reason that Clemson is a betting favorite to win the National Championship. At the very least, the Demon Deacons offense got to take some reps against one of the top defenses in the country and quarterback Sam Hartman should perform better against NC State. 

Hartman threw for 16 touchdowns against just eight interceptions as a freshman two years ago, before serving as a backup last year. He could be a breakout candidate for 2020. 

NC State slogged through a 4-8 season in 2019 as their offense couldn't get anything going. They finished 12th in the ACC in scoring with 22.1 points per game and had 23 turnovers. The Wolfpack are expecting sophomore QB Devin Leary to step up but he completed just 48.1 percent of his passes across five starts in 2019. The situation isn't any better behind Leary, with Bailey Hockman coming off a year where he threw four picks and one TD on 97 pass attempts. 

Regardless of who is throwing the ball for the Wolfpack, they'll have their work cut out for them against a strong Wake Forest defense that returns nine starters including monster defensive end Carlos Basham, who had 11 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 2019.

The Demon Deacons are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games in the head-to-head, including an upset win as a 19.5-point underdog two years ago. With the superior defense and the better QB, the Demon Deacons are worth backing as slim underdogs.

PREDICTION: Wake Forest +2.5 (-110)

Over/Under pick

The Demon Deacons will miss former quarterback Jamie Newman, who threw for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading an offense that averaged 31.8 ppg in 2019. He's not Wake's only big loss on offense, with WR Sage Surratt (1,001 receiving yards and 11 TDs) opting out due to COVID concerns while wideouts Kendall Hinton and Scotty Washington, along with left tackle Justin Herron, have moved on to the NFL.

The Demon Deacons might be taking a step back on offense but should be able to offset it with an improved defense. While NC State returns most of their offensive pieces from last year, that might not be a good thing considering how much they struggled to move the ball.

The Under is 5-0 in the Demon Deacons last five games as an underdog and has gone 4-0 in the Wolfpack's previous four contests as a favorite at home. With messy weather expected for the weekend, take the Under again. 

PREDICTION: Under 54 (-110)

First Quarter Bet

Last season the Wolfpack were brutal on defense in practically every category but they were especially poor in the early going. NC State surrendered 8.2 points per game during the first quarter which placed them outside the Top-100 schools in the country.

While Wake Forest has lots of new faces on offense they look solid at both quarterback and running back. At the very least the Demon Deacons offense got to shake the cobwebs off in their blowout loss to Clemson last week. With their first quarter team total set at just 3.5 take the Over. 

PREDICTION: First quarter team total - Wake Forest Over 3.5 (-124)

Wake Forest vs NC State betting card

• Wake Forest +2.5 (-110)
• Under 54 (-110)
• First quarter team total - Wake Forest Over 3.5 (-124)

Where can I bet on college football?

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