The Wake Forest Demon Deacons opened as the favorite to win the Belk Bowl vs the underwhelming Texas A&M Aggies. The Deacons are back in a bowl game for the second year in a row and will look to finish their season on a high note after dropping an ugly loss to Duke in their final game of conference play.
Wake Forest had a banner season by its recent standards. The Demon Deacons finished the season at 7-5 SU and had two signature wins over NC State and Louisville. Their offense was paced by quarterback John Wolford, who was solid in the pocket for the Deacons, throwing 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The disturbing trend for Wake Forest, however, was that its efforts on defense left a lot to be desired. Since their bye in Week 7, the Deacons allowed opposing offenses to score 34 points per game in a six-game span. The good news, though, for Wake Forest backers is the favorite in the Belk Bowl is 5-0 SU and ATS in the last five editions of this game.
Texas A&M could be in trouble in this matchup and may already be looking to next season. They’ve made more headlines off the field than on it in recent weeks for firing coach Kevin Sumlin and replacing him with former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher is not expected to be on the sideline for the Belk Bowl to assist the Aggies while they compete in their ninth straight bowl game. Bettors may want to fade Texas A&M, who won’t have the coaching stability needed in a postseason game.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Texas A&M Aggies Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
Texas A&M battles the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, currently with a 7-5 mark (8-3-1 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals betting, are 6-6 for the Aggies and 6-6 for the Demon Deacons. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Texas A&M vs Wake Forest injuries news.
It's a betting matchup between the No. 66-rated Aggies and the No. 62-ranked Demon Deacons, according to the NCAA College Football Power Rankings here at OddsShark.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Texas A&M Aggies' No. 44-ranked offense (31.08 PPG) against a Wake Forest Demon Deacons defense that ranks No. 61 at 26.33 PPG. The Texas A&M passing attack has averaged 230.58 yards per game, less than Wake Forest gives up through the air (252.58 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Demon Deacons own the league's No. 114-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 239.83 yards per game when on the road. Texas A&M, on the other hand, rates No. 86 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
In their last game, the Demon Deacons were Week 13 losers coming out on the wrong end of a 31-23 score against Duke.
Texas A&M was hammered in its last outing, as LSU ran up a 45-21 score against them at Tiger Stadium-LSU.