Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds, Football Pick

Not only is Notre Dame 8-1 overall on the season and part of the College Football Playoff conversation, but it's also 7-2 against the spread despite its status as a big favorite of the betting public. The Fighting Irish face a big number for Saturday's date with 3-6 Wake Forest in South Bend.

Point spread: The Fighting Irish opened as 27-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 36.0-15.4 Fighting Irish

Why the Wake Forest Demon Deacons can cover the spread

Wake Forest lost a couple of recent games to North Carolina and North Carolina State in non-competitive fashion but cashed in last time out, losing 20-19 to Louisville but covering as an 11-point home dog. The Deacons actually led the Cardinals 10-0 in the first quarter and 19-10 just before halftime, but allowed Louisville to score the final 10 points of the game.

On the day Wake Forest only generated 266 yards of offense and committed five turnovers, but the Demon Deacons defense held the Cardinals to 317 total yards and just 68 yards on 42 rushing attempts.

Wake has struggled on offense all season, averaging less than 19 points per game, but its defense ranks 33rd in the country overall, while giving up just 23 points per game. And that last figure is slightly skewed because it allowed 50 points to the Tar Heels.

Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can cover the spread

The Irish just survived a two-game road trip through the state of Pennsylvania, topping Temple two weeks ago 24-20, then pounding Pittsburgh last week 42-30.

And that game wasn't as close as that final score might indicate. Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game on a DeShone Kizer touchdown pass and never trailed, pushing its lead to 21-3 at the half and 42-17 midway through the fourth quarter, before allowing the Panthers to score a pair of meaningless touchdowns.

On the day Kizer hit on 19 of 26 throws for 262 yards and five touchdowns without a pick, while freshman running back Josh Adams, playing in place of an injured C.J. Prosise, ran 20 times for 147 yards.

So Notre Dame has still only lost one game this season, and that came by two points in the rain at Clemson a month ago. And that loss doesn't look too bad now, considering the Tigers have risen to become the top-ranked team in the land.

Smart pick

The Irish are very likely to win this game; the only unknown is the final margin. But Notre Dame has only won once this season by as much as it's favored for this game, while Wake Forest has only lost once by that margin. The Deacons own a decent defense, and they're probably getting a few extra points on the spread, playing in South Bend. Take Wake here, plus the points.

Betting trends

Notre Dame is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home in November.

Notre Dame is 5-0 SU and ATS in its last five games at home.

Wake Forest is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games on the road.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.