Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Clemson Tigers Betting Odds, College Football Pick

Clemson owns six straight victories in the series with Wake Forest, going 4-2 against the spread in the process even while favored by some large numbers. The undefeated Tigers are favored by a bunch for Saturday afternoon's ACC match with the Demon Deacons at Death Valley.

Point spread: The Tigers opened as 29-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 45.0-12.2 Tigers

Why the Wake Forest Demon Deacons can cover the spread

Wake has lost four games in a row but covered the last two, after hanging with Notre Dame last week, losing 28-7 but covering 25 points. The Deacons fell down 7-0 late in the first quarter, then they gave up a pick-six to trail 14-0.

Seven minutes later they pinned the Irish on their own 2-yard line, but they allowed a 98-yard run for a touchdown and trailed 21-0 at the half. However, Wake Forest then played Notre Dame to a 7-7 tie in the second half and held on for the cash.

On the day, the Wake Forest actually outgained the Irish 340-282 and won time of possession by over 11 minutes. And a third of Notre Dame's yardage came on that one long scoring play. In its previous outing, the Deacons led Louisville 19-10 and gave up the last 10 points of the game to lose 20-19, but they easily covered 11 points.

Why the Clemson Tigers can cover the spread

Clemson stayed perfect on the season, and on track for a berth in the College Football Playoff, with a 37-27 victory at Syracuse last week. The Tigers scored twice in the first two minutes of the game, allowed the Orange to tie the score at 14-14 then scored twice in the next three minutes to regain control.

On the day, Clemson outgained Syracuse 570-322, as Heisman-candidate quarterback DeShaun Watson ho-hummed his way to 465 total yards and three touchdowns. Two weeks ago, the Tigers beat Florida State 23-13. Just before that they put up 56 points in a victory over North Carolina State, and just before that they bombed Miami 58-0.

Clemson has already clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, but it's still playing for big stakes, and style points still count.

Smart pick

There's not much doubt as to the winner of this game; Wake Forest just doesn't have the ability on offense to pull off the upset. But the Deacons rank 23rd in the country in total defense. Also, the big spreads might be catching up to the Tigers, who never came close to covering 30 points last week against Syracuse and couldn't cover 12 points against the Seminoles. Take Wake here, plus the points.

Betting trends

Wake Forest is 0-7 SU in its last seven games on the road against Clemson.

Clemson is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games in November.

Wake Forest is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games in November.

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.