How bad is it going to get for the Florida State Seminoles? FSU is 0-2 and out of the Top 25 for the first time since the start of the Jimbo Fisher era in Tallahassee. While there are plenty of excuses for the team’s start, the Seminoles now find their national title aspirations shattered and their hopes of even winning the ACC on life support after losing at home to North Carolina State. For the first time in five or six years, this team is vulnerable, and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will look to take advantage of the mess in Tallahassee.
This contest in Week 5 of the regular season will go down Saturday, September 30, 2017, at 3:30
p.m. ET at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, North Carolina This game will be broadcast on ABC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida State -7.5
Wake Forest +7.5
Over/Under 47
Odds Analysis
The Demon Deacons were dismissed as a fluke last season, but they are anything but in 2017. Dave Clawson’s offense is finally starting to fire on all cylinders and he has made the Demon Deacons a team to prepare for yet again. Wake Forest smashed its first three opponents of the season before squeaking by Appalachian State last week and is 3-1 ATS as a result.
Florida State is still looking to win, much less cover, a game. The Seminoles hung tough with Alabama, but didn’t get the cover, and were simply outplayed by North Carolina State last week. The latter was scary for a team ranked in the Top Five at the start of the season.
Player to Watch
James Blackman didn’t have a bad first game replacing Deondre Francois all things considered. Blackman is a true freshman that didn’t expect to see any action this season, but was forced into duty after Francois suffered a season-ending injury in the loss to Alabama.
Blackman was hounded all game by a ferocious NC State defensive line and Bradley Chubb continually made himself acquainted with the youngster. The constant pressure left him unable to do much with his legs, but he did have a nice day through the air, throwing for 278 yards and a score.
Florida State’s hopes for the rest of this year rest on Blackman’s shoulders and he must keep improving if this team is going to find a way to knock off Clemson or Louisville.
Key Stat
The Demon Deacons are in the top ten in the nation in scoring defense, but have not played a great slew of offenses. Wake Forest pounded on FCS minnow Presbyterian in its opener and then decimated offensively challenged Boston College and Utah State. The best offense it has faced is Appalachian State, but that’s not anything special.
For all of Florida State’s woes, this team still has a lot of talent to work with. Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick make up one of the best running back combinations in the conference and the receivers have finally started to play well now that they are needing to help out their quarterback.
Free ATS Pick
This line feels like a massive overreaction. Wake Forest has been great this season, don’t get us wrong, and the Demon Deacons have looked very good. However, only Appalachian State is likely to go bowling of the four teams they defeated and they don’t have any easy games the rest of the way.
The two teams that Florida State lost to are the No.1 team in the country and an NC State team that everyone was high on prior to the start of the season because of its defensive line.
There is a talent chasm between these two sides. Florida State is a much better all-around team and has a legitimately scary defense. The Seminoles will bounce back in a big way here and grab their first win of the season.
College Football Odds: Seminoles 34, Demon Deacons 16
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
