Vanderbilt Commodores vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/09/2023

Game Time: 11:00 am ET, Saturday, September 9, 2023

Venue:  Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC

Where to Watch:  ACC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Vanderbilt +10.5, Wake Forest -10.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Vanderbilt +10.5, Wake Forest -10.5; Over/Under:  57 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Vanderbilt +10.5, Wake Forest -10.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Vanderbilt Commodores:  2-0 (0-0) (1st place, SEC East)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  1-0 (0-0) (5th place, ACC)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Amedeus Mastrangelo is on a HOT STREAK in CFB coming off a MASSIVE 9-2 CFB WEEKEND! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Vanderbilt Commodores:  won their last game at home against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 47-13.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  won their last game at home against the Elon Phoenix 37-17.

Vanderbilt is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too.  They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Alabama A&M 47-13. AJ Swann was the starting QB and he completed 15/29 passes for 194 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Sedrick Alexander led the team in rushing yards with 87 and 2 TDs. Jayden McGowan led the receivers with 70 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Langston Patterson led the defense in that game with 3 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Nate Clifton and Jeffrey Ugochukwu each led the defense in sacks with 1. Nate Clifton came away with the only interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Wake Forest is entering this game with a 1-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too.  They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Elon 37-17. Mitch Griffis was the starting QB and he completed 19/30 passes for 329 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Demond Claiborne led the team in rushing yards with 70 and 1 TD. Jahmal Banks led the receivers with 108 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Malik Mustapha led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Jacob Roberts, Aiden Hall, and Kendron Wayman each led the defense in sacks with 1. DaShawn Jones and Demarcus Rankin each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Vanderbilt listed as a 10.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Vanderbilt has been really bad for many years but they are finally improving their team this season and have already looked a lot better in their 2 games played with a 2-0 start. Wake Forest also opened their season with a win but they have only played the 1 game and it was at home against a team from the FCS. They only beat Elon 37-17 in that game too as their offense struggled to put up points with their new QB and even their defense wasn't able to keep a team like Elon off the board. Vanderbilt is trying to restore themselves as a good SEC program this season and they are going to show up in this road game with 2 games under their belt already. They also have a much improved offense that will put up points on this weaker Wake Forest defense and Vandy will keep themselves in this game all day even if they don't end up winning it, but they are definitely a live underdog to win this outright. The best way to place a bet here is on Vanderbilt to cover the spread in this game.

Vanderbilt Wake Forest Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 9, 2023 (11:00 am ET start time) is Vanderbilt 31 Wake Forest 21.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Vanderbilt Commodores Wake Forest Demon Deacons prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Vanderbilt Commodores: 15-7 ATS as a road underdog of 10.5 to 14 points. 8-3 ATS in road games. 8-2 UNDER as a road underdog. 11-6 UNDER off a home blowout win by 28 points or more. 

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: 0-6 ATS as a home favorite of 10.5 to 14 points. 20-30 ATS in the first two weeks of the season. 32-19 UNDER when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 9-4 UNDER as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points.

Vanderbilt Commodores:  J. Palmer (TE) day-to-day - Back. C. Spence (TE) out for season - Knee.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  M. Frogge (TE) day-to-day - Undisclosed. C. Jones (LB) day-to-day - Undisclosed. D. Greene (WR) Early Jan - Knee.

“I think you just have to lead by example. Show how to do things, show the right way, especially with the younger guys. Teach them the right way to do things, go first in the reps, show them the techniques, pull them to the side and do things of that sort.” - Will Sheppard on his approach to getting better this season.

“I thought we had a chance to put that game over in the third quarter. The pick-6 and our inability to score touchdowns in the red zone, that will cost us games later down the season.” - Dave Clawson after his team’s win against Elon in their last game.

WR Sheppard, Will 

WR Skinner Jr., Quincy 

WR McGowan, Jayden 

TE Ball, Justin

TE Kyle, Logan 

QB Swann, AJ 

RB Smith, Patrick  

WR Banks, Jahmal 

WR Morin, Taylor 

WR Williams, Ke'Shawn 

TE Hite, Cameron 

QB Griffis, Mitch 

RB Ellison, Justice 

Passing: A. Swann (452)

Rushing: S. Alexander (89)

Receiving: J. McGowan (142)

Touchdowns: W. Sheppard (4)

Passing: M. Griffis (329)

Rushing: D. Claiborne (70)

Receiving: J. Banks (108)

Touchdowns: J. Banks (1)

Coaches:

Vanderbilt Commodores: Clark Lea (3rd season)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Dave Clawson (10th season)