Wake Forest vs. Florida State Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 5

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Published on October 1, 2022

Wake Forest @ Florida State Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 5

The #22 ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons will try to extend their winning streak over the #23 Florida State Seminoles to three games, but Wake coach Dave Clawson already warned that this is a different FSU team than the one they beat 35-14 last year. The Seminoles are 4-0 even with the #14 hardest strength of schedule in the country, already posting wins over LSU (24-23), at Louisville (35-31) and last week's 44-14 domination of Boston College in Tallahassee.

Doak S. Campbell Stadium should be fairly full on Saturday (3:30 PM ET, ABC) as the Florida State athletic department announced that they are giving away tickets to those displaced by Hurricane Ian. The fact that the game is being played at the regularly scheduled time at all is impressive in itself after Florida postponed its game to Sunday while South Florida moved their contest to the other side of the state.

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Wake Forest at Florida State Odds for Week 5

Spread: Florida State -6.5 (PointsBet)

Total: 64 (BetMGM)

Moneyline: Wake Forest; Florida State -230 (DraftKings Sportsbook)

This is a somewhat interesting line of FSU -6.5 with how last year's game went down as Wake Forest amassed 484 total yards of offense in a 21-point victory. You'd also be remiss for not taking into account how much the stress of the hurricane this week has affected player's mental focus and preparation. Tallahassee is farther North than the major impact areas from Ian, but players still have family spread out all across the state.

Wake Forest at Florida State Betting Picks This Week

Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman missed the season opener with a blood clot scare, but he looks back in a comfortable routine after throwing for 337 yards and a school record 6TDs last week in a 51-45 OT loss at home against Clemson. Hartman's 10,228 career passing yards has gotten him up to sixth place in ACC history, but how much is the emotional letdown of a 14th straight loss to the Tigers going to carry over for Wake Forest in week 5?

Saturday's game is another test for Florida State but they've passed them all so far in a 4-0 start. The Seminoles defense is ranked 16th vs. the pass (165.8 ypg) and that's even while facing the likes of LSU's Jayden Daniels (209 yards, 2 TDs) and Louisville's Malik Cunningham (243 yards, 1/1).

Hartman was 22/31 for 259 yards with 2/1 in last year's win over Florida State, but that was also at home. Wake Forest did a lot of their damage in the 2021 meeting on the ground, rushing for 225 yards. The Demon Deacons haven't gotten their ground game working as well this season, putting a lot of pressure on Hartman and the passing game to succeed in a hostile environment.

Wake Forest vs. Florida State Best Bet

Best Bet: Florida State -6.5 at PointsBet

Wake Forest at Florida State Prediction

Florida State players have had a tough week, but getting a win to stay 5-0 after becoming ranked for the first time since 2018 is a nice way to move forward. Hartman and the Wake Forest offense are no walk in the park, but the Florida State defense has been up to the task so far in 2022.

The big X-factor in Saturday's game is the FSU offense. Noles' QB Jordan Travis doesn't have the flash that Hartman does, but he had a 321 yard day in the win over Boston College while completing just 16 passes. The 5th year Senior has the experience, but he also has a running game that leads the ACC with 226.8 ypg. The most efficient way to limit Hartman's effectiveness is to keep him off the field, and Florida State will likely have a huge time of possession advantage on Saturday.

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