Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Wisconsin Betting Picks

The 4-4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons will meet the 3-3 Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at 12:00 PM ET in Bank of America Stadium. The Badgers come into the game as seven-point favorites and we’re looking at a defensive battle with a 51.5 over/under. You can tune into the stellar matchup on ESPN as the first game of three on Wednesday. Let’s dive into how this game will go and who will end up covering the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of our CFB Picks and Predictions as we will have every single bowl game covered.

• Demon Deacons are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
• Badgers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite.
• Under is 6-1 in Demon Deacons last 7 games as an underdog.
• Under is 4-0 in Badgers last 4 games overall.

This Wake Forest team can’t be happy with their current .500 record, but at least they’ve played and lost to some quality teams. Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina, and NC State are four solid teams. They beat Virginia and Virginia Tech, so this is a battle-tested team that can beat a quality opponent. Offensively, it starts with QB Sam Hartman. He’s thrown it for 1,906 yards with 10 touchdowns and just one interception. His primary target is WR Jaquarii Robinson, who’s up to 54 catches on the year with 795 yards and five scores. Donavan Greene and Taylor Morin are the only two other receiving options over 20 catches and they must step up in a big way in this game.

It’s a two-headed backfield with Christian Beal-Smith (650 yards, 4 TD) and Kenneth Walker III (579 yards, 13 TD). Beal-Smith is the better runner between the 20’s while Walker has more pop to his run-style. This Wake Forest offense isn’t going to put up more than 30 points against Wisconsin and they will need the defense to step up in a big way. Wisconsin has a similar offense and the Deacons defense has to play with fire.

The Badgers are also .500 on the season, but they have looked better than Wake Forest with all things considered. All three of their losses came to ranked opponents with Indiana, Northwestern, and Iowa all holding numbers next to their name when they stepped on the field. Wisconsin didn’t beat a single ranked opponent, however, so they will have to prove they can beat a quality team.

The Badgers run a balanced offense led by QB signal-caller Graham Mertz. He’s up to 1,108 yards with just eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He was great to start the season, but has been figured out of late and hasn’t been over 230 yards since the bout against Northwestern. He has TE Jake Ferguson in the middle, who’s up to 284 yards and four touchdowns as one of the best in the country.

Wisconsin has a three-headed backfield with Jalen Berger, Garrett Groshek, and Nakia Watson all getting equal carries. Berger has been the most effective of the bunch, though Watson is where Wisconsin has turned in the RZ (3 TD). This is a team that always relies on their defense and they must step up against a Wake Forest offense that has upside.

The Wisconsin Badgers shouldn’t be a touchdown favorite against anyone right now. The Demon Deacons are no powerhouse, but the offense is at the very least as good as Wisconsin and probably a bit better. The defenses are similar as well and this Wisconsin D has been beaten repeatedly through the air. This game is a toss-up in my eyes and I would go with the points either way. We’re getting seven on Wake Forest and I love the bet.