The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will try to remain undefeated as they begin ACC play with a trip up north to face the Boston College Eagles. Kickoff will be at 3:30 EST on Saturday, September 28 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Fans can watch the game on the ACC Network.
Current betting odds have Wake Forest favored by 6.5 points on the road with an over/under of 65 points. Be sure to check out a full list of this week’s college football odds.
As mentioned, the Demon Deacons head into this game unbeaten at 4-0. Thus far, their season has included comfortable wins over Rice and Elon, as well as more competitive games against Utah State and North Carolina. Either of those games could have gone the other way if one or two things had gone differently.
For some reason, the win over North Carolina didn’t count as a conference game, so Wake Forest still has eight ACC games left on their schedule. The good news is they only need two wins in those eight games to get to a bowl for a fourth straight season, which would be a huge accomplishment for the program. However, with the rest of the ACC (outside of Clemson) looking a little mediocre, this could be the year the Demon Deacons work their way up the pecking order in the ACC Atlantic. Of course, doing that will require a win in their conference opener.
Boston College, on the other hand, began their season with a win over Virginia Tech that did count in the conference standings. However, the Eagles suffered a stunning setback two weeks ago when they suffered a 48-24 home loss to Kansas despite being a 20-point favorite. BC bounced back last week by beating Rutgers, but the Eagles will be disappointed not to be 4-0 at this point of the season.
While they only need three more wins to solidify a bowl spot, the Eagles face a tricky schedule the rest of the way. Five of BC’s eight remaining games will be on the road. That slate of road games includes top-ranked Clemson and rivalry games against Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Pitt. With that schedule in mind, the Eagles need to hold serve at home, especially after the disaster against Kansas a couple of weeks ago.
Since Boston College joined the ACC in 2003, this has been a rather even series. During that time, the Eagles have a 9-7 edge in head-to-head meetings with Wake Forest, including a win in Winston-Salem last year. On the other hand, the Demon Deacons blew out BC 34-10 in their last visit to Chestnut Hill in 2017.
To be honest, both of these teams have given me reasons to doubt them. Even undefeated Wake Forest isn’t without flaws. I’m going to choose to give Boston College the benefit of the doubt for that loss to Kansas. That should end up being an aberration rather than a sign of things to come. That game aside, it’s tough to reconcile the Eagles as home underdogs, so I’ll lean toward BC and the points in this matchup.
The thing that worries me the most about Wake Forest is their inability to defend the run. They were shredded on the ground in the season opener against Utah State and things have only improved mildly since then. Even in their win over North Carolina, the Demon Deacons looked a little vulnerable against the run.
This is important because running the ball is BC’s biggest strength. AJ Dillon is a monstrous running back who can wear teams down and make them pay for missed tackles. He also has a running mate this season in David Bailey who is also tough to bring to the ground. I have serious questions about how Wake Forest is going to keep those two under wraps for four quarters.
Success on the ground should make things easier for quarterback Anthony Brown. While he’s not the most accurate passer, Brown is yet to throw an interception in four games this season. He’s also taken just two sacks in four games, which means the Eagles are winning at the line of scrimmage and avoiding negative plays. Plus, if BC can establish the ground game, Brown is great at running play-action.
On the other side of the ball, the Boston College defense raised some eyebrows in a bad way during their loss to Kansas. They were terrible against both the run and pass in that game. That could open the door for a Wake Forest offense that has put plenty of points on the board this year behind quarterback Jamie Newman and a steady rushing attack.
Of course, it’s fair to question the competition Wake has faced during their 4-0 start. The Demon Deacons were held to three points in the second half and 24 total in their non-ACC game against ACC opponent North Carolina, and that was at home. If they’re held to a similar total this week, covering 6.5 points could be tough, even if they get the win.
Again, I’ll mention that I’m giving BC a pass for the Kansas loss. The Eagles can’t possibly be as bad as they looked that night. I think Boston College will control the game with their running game and hold Wake Forest to a reasonable point total with their defense. In what should be a close game, I like my chances with Boston College and the points at home.