Wake Forest visits Tulane on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in the season-opener for both teams. The Demon Deacons are six-point favorites after opening at 7.5 at most sportsbooks. The over-under for total points scored is 55, a drop from the initial offering of 57. Wake Forest is looking to improve from an eight-win season to contending for the ACC title, while Tulane hopes to go from five wins to bowl eligibility while climbing the ranks of the AAC. When these teams met two years ago, Wake Forest escaped with a nail-biting 7-3 home win.
Before you make any Wake Forest vs. Tulane picks, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model is picking. This advanced computer model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, closed last bowl season on a perfect 7-0 run and has netted over $4,200 for its followers the past three years.
Now, the model has crunched the numbers and released an unusually strong pick on Wake Forest-Tulane, as one team is covering in almost 65 percent of simulations. The model is sharing the pick over at SportsLine.
The model knows that coming off an eight-win season that included wins over Louisville and N.C. State, coach Dave Clawson's Wake Forest club can't count on sneaking up on ACC opponents. His team returns one of the most experienced rosters in the conference, including most key playmakers on both sides of the ball. Clawson has stated his goal is to take the next step with the program by competing for an ACC title.
But the Demon Deacons are unfamiliar with the role of being a big favorite and will be without some key components Thursday. Starting quarterback Kendall Hinton and tight end Thomas Cole are suspended for the first three games of the season. True freshman Sam Hartman will make his first career start in a hostile environment.
The Green Wave are coming off a 5-7 campaign in which they won two of their last three but just missed out on a bowl bid. They upset Houston at home and their final drive was stopped at the goal line in a season-ending 41-38 loss to SMU.
Coach Willie Fritz has nine returning offensive starters, led by senior dual-threat quarterback Jonathan Banks. The Kansas State transfer improved down the stretch, throwing for 565 combined yards in the final two games.
The Green Wave were 5-1 against the spread at home last year, covering both times as an underdog.
So who wins Wake Forest-Tulane? And which team covers in almost 65 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on Thursday, all from the proven computer model that has returned followers a profit of more than $4,200.