When we look at the FSU vs. Wake Forest game on Saturday night, it’s interesting that FSU is the betting favorite by a wide margin, considering the records of the two teams. Florida State hasn’t won a conference game in over a year, and all four losses this season have been by eight points or less.
Wake Forest is 5-2, but could easily be closer to .500. They have two wins by one point, including last week’s win over SMU on a field goal that cleared the cross-bar by inches.
The two teams are similar in several regards. Both turn the ball over a lot and commit multiple penalties per game. FSU averages 6.1 penalties, and Wake Forest averages eight per game.
FSU probably has the better offense overall, and Wake Forest would have the better defense. FSU has more overall talent, but Wake Forest looks better coached, especially on defense.
Wake Forest is incredibly balanced, but their passing game is the weaker of the two facets. FSU is better against the run on defense than against the pass. FSU’s offense is more run-heavy, but Wake Forest could look to force them to pass to find success. FSU has struggled in that area since they’ve entered conference play.
We wrote how the games are all about the matchups, and there's a reason why FSU is favored in this game, despite losing to Stanford two weeks ago. It's going to come down to the little things, like the rest of the four games FSU has lost recently.
If FSU can avoid turnovers and costly penalties, they'll have a good shot to win the game. If Wake Forest does that, the same can be said for them. However, the biggest question is what type of effort will FSU and Mike Norvell get from its players? Will they finally play like their life's on the line like they did in the Alabama game? The last few games say that's largely out of the question, but we'll find out on Saturday night.