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Pitt Solid Bet on Road to Demonize Wake Forest

· Oct 20 - 4 minutes read

Two years ago, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest met in the ACC Championship Game, but both teams are struggling to get through this season. The Panthers and Demon Deacons have been underwhelming for Vegas odds on college football, but maybe playing against each other could change something.

Last week, the Panthers found some answers offensively, upsetting No.14 Louisville 38-21, shutting out the Cardinals in the second half and ending a four-game losing streak. However, last week was not so kind for the Demon Deacons, losing to Virginia Tech 30-13 without scoring a single offensive touchdown.

Pitt Solid Bet on Road to Demonize Wake Forest

Pittsburgh Coming Off Big Upset

Heading into last week’s game against Louisville, Pittsburgh was on a four-game losing streak without a win in conference play. That prompted a change at quarterback, which might have been what the Panthers needed. Phil Jurkovec was benched for Christian Veilleux, who performed well enough to earn the starting job against Wake Forest, possibly adjusting College Football lines.

🤯 Christian Veilleux throws an absolute BOMB to Bub Means!!! pic.twitter.com/lIuDypv9wX

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 14, 2023

Veilleux completed 12 of 26 passes for 200 yards, adding two touchdowns with no interceptions or fumbles. It was a pretty clean game by Veilleux, which was helped by the running game supporting him. Rodney Hammond Jr. rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries without a score. C’Bo Flemister would score twice but only average 2.1 yards per carry on 13 attempts.

Despite that, the offense struggled overall, mustering only 288 yards. The defense was the game’s true star, forcing three turnovers, with one interception being returned for a touchdown. That could help the Panthers in college football odds given that Wake Forest’s offense isn’t too reliable either.

On top of that, Wake Forest’s defense hasn’t been exactly elite. The Demon Deacons allow the third-most passing yards in the ACC, which Veilleux should try to exploit in his second start this season.

Wake Forest: Quarterback Questions

Similar to Pittsburgh, Wake Forest is having issues at quarterback. Mitch Griffis started the game against Virginia Tech, but Michael Kern was brought in as the offense could not do anything, and he threw an interception.

However, Kern did very little to improve future Vegas college football betting lines, like Veilleux has the chance to do for Pittsburgh. Kern completed 14 of 22 passes for 166 without a touchdown or interception. Theoretically, he played a cleaner game than Griffis, but he also fumbled twice behind an offensive line that has allowed the most sacks in the conference (29).

Given their current quarterback situation, the only hope that the Demon Deacons have on offense is to rely on running back Justice Ellison to get things going. He only had 35 yards on 11 carries last week.

Pittsburgh has allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game in the ACC and will know that Wake Forest will look to establish the run. That might close some running lanes, forcing the Demon Deacons into passing more behind the worst offensive line in the ACC and no clear-cut starting quarterback.

Pittsburgh vs Wake Forest Betting Lines

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Pittsburgh vs Wake Forest Best Bet

This game might not be the best option for NCAA free picks and parlays, with neither team having much faith in their offenses. However, Pittsburgh does seem to have an advantage.

For one, the Panthers are coming off a big upset in which the offense looked good enough. The defense was able to cause chaos and mistakes, which they should be able to do again against Wake Forest. That should lean college football picks toward Pittsburgh winning its second straight game.

College Football Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers (+1)

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