Notre Dame vs Wake Forest Game Predictions

Notre Dame (7-3) looks to get back on track on Senior Day when it takes on the struggling Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-6). The Irish hold a 5-0 all-time record against the Deacons, with the last win coming back on 2018.

Notre Dame also ended its 2015 and 2012 home slates against Wake Forest, which will make this the third time the Irish and Deacons have played on Senior Day.

Where: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
When: Saturday - November 18th
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: NBC/Peacock
Line: Notre Dame -24.5, O/U: 46.5

Irish Breakdown has spent the week breaking down the game and now it's time for our predictions.

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Wake Forest 7

Notre Dame has been two different teams this season. It has struggled against teams with really good defenses, which we saw against Ohio State, Louisville, Clemson and Duke. Against teams that don't have top defenses the Irish have dominated, and Wake Forest doesn't have a top defense.

Notre Dame has also played better at home in recent games, with the Irish winning its last two home games by a combined 106-27 margin, which included a 58-7 win over Pittsburgh. That came a week after Wake Forest beat the Panthers 21-17 on the final play of the game.

I fully anticipate the Notre Dame defense continuing its dominant ways. Wake has struggled all season on that side of the ball, and the Irish will make it very hard for them to move the ball. I also expect Notre Dame to give its own offense several short fields against a Wake offense that is one of the worst turnover teams in the country.

On the other side of the ball, I expect quarterback Sam Hartman to have a big game against his former team. Even with all the injuries on offense, the Irish still have plenty of weapons to go after a solid but unspectacular Wake Forest defense. Audric Estime and the run game will have a solid day, but Hartman will steal the show for the Irish offense.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Wake Forest 17

If I claimed to know anything about this time right now I might be lying! After the Clemson game we have had two weeks to scratch our heads as to what is going on with this team. They still had so much in front of them as far as a NY6 bowl game and a possible 11 win season. Marcus Freeman has always had his teams ready to go for big games and this was in fact a big game. I do not care what the record of Clemson was. At the end of the day, they failed on the road again. I think that is the correlation right now for me; the road. Did they lose to OSU at home this season, yes. Were they in control of that game up until the end, yes. They have dominated teams at home this season and I do not see a reason that this game will be any different.

Wake has put up a fight against some teams this year and probably should have lost to Pitt which was blown out by Notre Dame earlier this year. Wake has some talent sprinkled across the board and we cannot take for granted the Sam Hartman effect on this game. I feel like he will either come out and have the best game of the season for him or the worst and I do not see a middle ground here. I tend to fall on the positive side of things but I can realistically see the other side as well. If it is the positive, then my score prediction will be way off and the scoreboard will be lit up. I hope that is the case. Either way, Steve Angeli will get some significant time in this game in the second half.

RYAN ROBERTS, RECRUITING DIRECTOR

Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Wake Forest 14

On paper, Notre Dame is the much better team. That is especially true when you match the Irish defense against the struggling Wake Forest offense. If the Irish maintain discipline and don’t overthink it, they should be very difficult to beat. Stop the run, and pressure an inexperienced passer. Turnovers should follow.

Wake Forest quietly has a few NFL players on the defensive side of the football. Defensive end Jasheen Davis, cornerback Caelen Carson and safety Malik Mustapha are good players who will play on Sundays. Notre Dame must come out with purpose and put the defense in bad positions. Even with the offenses struggles, there is no reason this shouldn’t be a decisive victory.

SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Wake Forest 10

Senior Day can always play with a player’s head, and this is maybe the most intriguing Senior Day Notre Dame has ever had, because for the first time ever the Irish will have its quarterback going up against his former team in his last game at Notre Dame Stadium when Sam Hartman faces Wake Forest.

Hartman has had his own issues, with seven interceptions and just four touchdown passes in his last four games. He has four picks and no touchdowns in his last two games and has thrown multiple interceptions in three of his last four games. He never had a four-game stretch with as many multiple interceptions in his five years at Wake.

Even with all that at play, the bigger question is probably how Wake Forest’s current quarterback will fare against the Irish. Michael Kern is in his fifth season at Wake, but he’s going to make his first career start on Saturday. Kern has played in 15 games, primarily as Hartman’s backup, in his Wake Forest career. Like Hartman, he’s highly respected within the program but it won’t be enough against Notre Dame’s defense.

ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Wake Forest 6

The Fighting Irish have won their last two Senior Days by a combined score of 99-0, and will dominate the line of scrimmage from start to finish in this one. The Demon Deacons rank 64th in the nation in both rushing defense and passing defense, and I expect Notre Dame to focus on establishing the run because you can bet that Dave Clawson will have a plan to attack Sam Hartman's weaknesses, given that he coached him for 5 years.

I would like to see some more creativity in the running attack though, because if Notre Dame can force Wake Forest to commit to stopping the run, this is a game in which the Irish passing attack can get back on track coming out of a bye week with a hopefully healthier wide receiving corps.

On the other side of the ball, I think Notre Dame gets at least one defensive touchdown and attacks a Wake Forest offense beset by struggling quarterback play again and again. The Demon Deacons rank 97th in the nation in passing, and against the ACC are throwing for just 167.1 yards/game. It's hard to see them getting even to that number against Notre Dame's secondary, allowing the Irish linebackers to play downhill against a fairly decent rushing attack led by Demond Claiborne and Justice Ellison.

STAFF RESULTS

Bryan - 34-12
Andrew - 34-12
Sean - 33-13
Ryan - 30-16
Vince - 27-12

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