Last season the Wake Forest Demon Deacons almost won their third ACC championship. Wake Forest won the ACC Atlantic Division. And then lost to Pitt in the conference championship game. The Deacs tied a school record for 11 college football odds wins. And finished with a school-best final national ranking of 15th. Head coach Dave Clawson has taken Wake Forest to six consecutive bowl games. Specifically, that is another record for the school. Clawson has worked a minor miracle at Wake Forest. He turned the program into a perennial bowl participant.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Future Odds at SBG:
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds to Win National Championship | +16200 |
| Odds to Win Conference Championship | +2000 |
| Over/Under Win Total | 8.5 |
2022 Wake Forest Demon Deacons – SBG Odds Overview
Following five straight bowl seasons but never winning more than eight games in a season, Dave Clawson led a 2021 breakthrough. Wake Forest finished with an AP top-10 ranking. Also, the Demon Deacons had an ACC Atlantic Division title, and 11 offshore betting wins. Including the Gator Bowl. Clawson’s offense, known as the “Clawfence,” has become a thorn in the side of ACC opponents. Now comes the question of whether Wake Forest can reach an even higher level of success.
For 2022, the Demon Deacons will again have plenty of College football betting odds experience. To show, Wake returns players with starting experience at almost every position. Most important of all, Clawson has changed the perception of a program that has a bad history and losing tradition.
The offense has become an asset under coordinator Warren Ruggiero. Consider that the Demon Deacons have averaged at least 30 points a season since 2017. Last year, the Deacons averaged 41 points per game, the fourth best in the nation.
However, the defense struggled to keep up, finishing 88th in scoring and 111th against the run. The Deacons relied on a big-play approach. Wake Forest was tied for fifth in turnovers gained and tied for 17th in tackles for a loss. Clawson brought in Brad Lambert, a former WFU assistant under Jim Grobe, from Purdue to run this year’s defense.
The Deacons lose their top running back and offensive lineman this year. But there’s little reason to believe those losses will slow down this scoring machine.
Quarterback Sam Hartman
Quarterback Sam Hartman has plenty of experience making decisions in Ruggerio’s system. Also, his improved running ability opened up the passing game. Hartman was third in the nation in points responsible for and threw for 4,228 yards, the sixth most in ACC history. Hartman has struggled in key moments, however. Last season, against UNC, NC State, and Pittsburgh, he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and threw nine interceptions.
Last year, Hartman located AT Perry 71 times. At the same time, the backfield will be a committee approach again. Justice Ellison led at 5.1 yards per carry, along with Christian Turner. Both backs gained more than 500 yards in 2021.
Lambert inherits a defense that allowed 42 or more points five times. Although it did create 29 turnovers. The Deacons struggled against the run. And the linebacker unit is full of question marks again.
Yet another eight-win season and a bowl game are quite probable. The offense should be at the top of the league again. So the key will be whether Lambert can improve the defense.