No. 3 Florida State Seminoles (8-0 SU, 6-2 ATS) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-5 SU, 4-5 ATS)
College Football Week 11
Date and Time: Saturday November 9th, 2013. 12:00PM Eastern
Where: BBT Field Winston-Salem, N.C.
TV: ABC
by Jay, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: FSU -35/WF +35
Over/Under Total: 54
The no. 3 Florida State Seminoles captured another big
win last week over no. 7 Miami 41-14. The win moved the Seminoles to the
number 2 spot in the BCS standings as they moved to 8-0 SU. Florida State
and Oregon are in an extremely tight race for the number 2 spot in the BCS
Standings so style points may come into play if both schools remain unbeaten
over the next couple of weeks. The Seminoles will attempt to impress the
nation again this Saturday when they travel into Winston-Salem for a meeting
with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
One person that has certainly impressed this season is Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston has posted staggering numbers by completing 70% passing for 2,502 yards with 24 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. Not only has the redshirt freshman taken the nation by storm but he is a big reason the Seminoles have taken the ‘next’ step among the nation’s elite. If Winston continues his impressive play, he could possibly have a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy on his resume.
As a team, the Seminoles have been dominant on each side of the ball. Winston has the offense in high gear averaging 51.1 points per game which is the 3rd best average in college football. Coach Jimbo Fisher has also built one of the best defenses in Tallahassee that is yielding just 13.1 (4th in FBS) points per game. Often you may find college football’s top teams are among the best in one of those categories. You think Alabama, immediately you think defense and the same can be said with Oregon’s offense. However, rarely do you see a team putting up such impressive numbers on each side of the football as Florida State has done thus far.
This week the Seminoles will roll into Winston-Salem has huge 35 point favorites following their blowout win over Miami last week. The Demon Deacons have struggled at 4-5 SU and 2-4 in conference play this year. Furthermore if Wake Forest does not find a way to score a couple of victories over their last 3 games, they will fail to become bowl eligible for the 4th time in the last 5 years. If that happens, it may very well be the end for head coach Jim Grobe.
Despite having one of the best defenses in the ACC, Wake Forest has been horrific on offense scoring just 19.4 points per game (112th in FBS). The Demon Deacons have averaged just 88 yards per game on the ground (116th in FBS) and have simply not been able to sustain any consistency. To make matters worse, senior wide receiver Michael Campanaro was lost for the season last week with a broken collarbone in a 13-0 loss to Syracuse. Campanaro was undoubtedly the biggest offensive threat for the Wake Forest offense. Senior quarterback Tanner Price will now have to work with an inexperience receiving core that has not had one other receiver with more than 15 catches on the season. Needless to say, that is a terrible sign for a dismal Wake Forest offense that will line up against one of the best defenses in the country this Saturday.
Jay’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I know the Demon Deacons offense is absolutely terrible but I believe Wake Forest’s defense may keep them around this weekend. This will only be Florida State’s 2nd road trip since September and this will be a tough game to get excited for considering how bad Wake Forest has played in recent weeks. Jim Grobe’s defense held a talented Miami offense to just 24 points and they have only given up more than 11 points just twice this year. Obviously Florida State is a much better offense, but 35 points is an extremely large number for a conference road game. Take Wake Forest +35!
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