Game Prediction: #5 Clemson Tigers vs #21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons

A battle for potential ACC supremacy will rage this weekend in Winston-Salem when the fifth-ranked Clemson Tigers (3-0) take on the 21st-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-0).

After a down year in the league, Clemson looks much improved and is outscoring opponents by an average score of 41.3 to 14.0. Wake Forest got quarterback Sam Hartman back in week two and he's looking to get on track.

The winner holds the inside track to the Atlantic Division title. The IB staff has broken down the game and now it's time to make predictions.

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: Clemson 38, Wake Forest 24

I would love to pick Wake Forest for a pair of reasons. One is I love upsets, and two is I have a great deal of respect for the job Dave Clawson has done to get Wake Forest to this point. Having said that, I'm going with Clemson for a number of reasons.

Clemson hasn't been overly sharp on offense this season but they are still dominating opponents and scoring over 40 points per game. Its run game is improved, and while quarterback DJ Uiagalelei hasn't lit the world on fire, he's been much better than last season. Wake Forest's defense looked solid the first two games but struggled against Liberty, and they will need to play much better if they are going to slow down the Tigers.

Wake Forest has an incredibly potent offense, one that is averaging 42 points per game and one that averaged 41 points per game a season ago. For all of the good things Clawson has done at Wake Forest, the reality is the Deacons have never been overly competitive against Clemson. The last time Wake Forest was within single digits of Clemson was back in 2011, when Jim Grobe was the head coach and Tanner Price was the quarterback. They haven't beaten Clemson since 2008.

The issue is Clemson is not only extremely talented, the Tigers weren't a great scheme fit for Wake Forest's offense. Clemson was an aggressive defense under former coordinator Brent Venables, and the slow mesh and RPO game that makes Wake Forest so effective on offense doesn't work as well against that kind of talented, attacking defense. It's why Clemson has only topped 20 points once in the last 10 matchups.

There's a new coordinator for Clemson now, and we'll find out if Wes Goodwin can have the same success against the Deacons that his predecessor had.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Clemson 28, Wake Forest 17

Is Clemson worthy of the #5 ranking? Sure, why not. This will be their first true test of the season and going on the road to Wake will make it that much more difficult. So far Tigers QB DJ Uiagalelei has been average at best but the scary part is his numbers are slightly better than last year. The concerning part is he was under 50% against both FBS opponents. I think this one comes down to whether or not Sam Hartman and the Deacons offense can run the ball and put points up on this Clemson defense. If they can this one will be close, if not.....

SHAUN DAVIS, RECRUITING ANALYST

Prediction: Clemson 27, Wake Forest 17

Star defensive tackle Bryan Bresee returns to the lineup with a heavy heart, but fully motivated along with the rest of the Tigers’ defense after being out last week following the tragic loss of his sister. Their run defense is allowing just 2.4 yards per carry, and they’re creating more turnovers than last season. Wake Forest has a good offense and Sam Hartman is one of the top signal callers in college football, but their slow mesh style hasn’t been as successful against Clemson. The Demon Deacons will give it a shot, and they should be in the game early due to Clemson’s inconsistent quarterback play.

RYAN ROBERTS, DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING

Prediction: Clemson 31, Wake Forest 18

Wake Forest is a great story, especially with the return of quarterback Sam Hartman. Offensively, they will present some challenges to an average Clemson secondary. They should be able to make some plays outside. The main issue is that they just won’t be able to match the physicality up front. Running the football on Clemson is going to be a tough task. Clemson could win an ugly one on Saturday.

SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Clemson 48, Wake Forest 24

Clemson’s offense has already proved it can score after struggling last year. Granted, the games have been against Georgia Tech, Furman and Louisiana Tech, but the Tigers averaged 41.3 points in those games. Wake Forest has averaged 42 a game against VMI, Vanderbilt and Liberty. They have quarterback Sam Hartman back after he missed the opener, but Clemson’s stingy defense will be too much.

ANDREW MCDONOUGH

Prediction: Clemson 31, Wake Forest 21

Dave Clawson took over at Wake Forest in 2014 but has never beaten Clemson. He - along with offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero - have made Wake Forest into one of the top offenses in the ACC year-in and year-out. Since 2017, Wake Forest has ranked 2nd, 4th, 3rd, 4th, and 4th in the ACC in total offense. However, the average score of the Clemson-Wake Forest game since 2017? 46-12 in favor of the Tigers. This Clemson offense isn't quite as good as in years past, so I think the Demon Deacons can slow down the Tiger offense, but like they have in the past, Wake Forest will struggle to score.

UPDATED PREDICTIONS RECORD

Bryan - 10-4
Vince - 10-4
Shaun - 9-5
Sean - 9-5
Ryan - 9-5
Andrew - 7-7

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