Two undefeated teams hook up in North Carolina on Thursday night as the Boston College Eagles play their first road game of the 2018 season when they visit the Demon Deacons at Wake Forest. Both teams are coming off Week 2 romps and will need to bring their best effort to BB&T Stadium for the biggest game of the year so far in the ACC Atlantic. The spread for this game initially opened at 3.5 but sat at 5.5 on Monday morning and had already moved to 7.0 on Tuesday before settling back at 6.5 a few hours before kickoff.
- Boston College is 10-1-1 ATS in its last 12 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in Boston College’s last eight games against Wake Forest with an average combined score of 34.5.
- Boston College is 6-0-1 ATS in its last seven games against its conference.
Boston College vs Wake Forest Game Center
Eagles Bring a Dual-Threat Offense
Eagles running back AJ Dillon ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 2 win over Holy Cross before he was lifted from the game. While Wake Forest should provide a stiffer test for Dillon, he’s off to a phenomenal start in his sophomore season. In last year’s 34-10 loss to Wake Forest, Dillon had his second-lowest rushing total of the year, but it was also just his second NCAA game. He went on to have seven games of 100-plus rushing yards, including in a bowl game vs Iowa.
In their Week 1 game vs Tulane, the Demon Deacons defense allowed 155 yards on the ground and another 281 yards in the air. They will need to be much better than that to contain a more explosive Boston College offense. The Wake Forest secondary has also been victimized, beaten for a number of deep passes already this season.
When teams have tried to shut down the run game, Anthony Brown, EJ Perry and Matt McDonald have gotten the job done, throwing for 571 yards on a combined 37-for-47 passing for eight TDs.
Boston College Defense Getting the Job Done
Through the first two weeks, Eagles defenders have proven themselves to be thieves, picking off four passes and forcing a fumble already this season. Two of the four interceptions were returned for touchdowns and they’ve allowed an average of 297.5 yards of total offense. This compares to the 616.5 yards the offensive team has averaged.
Conversely, Wake Forest’s defense has allowed an average of 423 yards through its first two games and has not intercepted any passes or forced any fumbles.
Stand Back, There’s a Hurricane Coming Through
These teams have hit the UNDER for eight straight meetings in this matchup as they alternate home games. The average combined score in those eight games was 34.5 while the total sits at 56 at most sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.
Hurricane Florence is expected to hit the Carolina's late Thursday or early Friday, so the weather may certainly play a factor in this game or even lead to its postponement. If it's played in wet and windy conditions, the UNDER is a great pick.
Some more useful totals info: the UNDER has hit in 32 of Boston College’s last 45 road games with an average combined score of 44.24.
Why I’m Picking the Favorite in This Game
The public is heavy on the Eagles in this game and I will be too. Despite the already stated offensive prowess of the Eagles, another factor will be their strong running game in the event of inclement weather. There are too many signs pointing to Boston College here to ignore them.
Seeing the amount of money coming in on the Eagles, it’s likely the spread will increase as the week goes on, so if you’re planning on betting Boston College, get your money in sooner than later. If you like Wake Forest in this game, you might want to wait until closer to game time to give yourself more points.
