Saturday’s contest might be the first time anyone has ever said “Florida State football badly needs a win against Wake Forest”. Starting the season off with two straight losses has put considerable pressure on both the team and the program as a whole. The truth is that these next few games might determine if certain people are out of a job when the season finally ends.
For Wake Forest, this could potentially be a program changer. If head coach Dave Clawson and the Demon Deacons can get a win against a traditional ACC power, they’ll be 5-0 with a promising future ahead of them. Opportunities like this don’t come in often. How many times will Florida State be in the predicament they are currently experiencing?
We here at The Daily Nole will tell you exactly what we think will go down on Saturday. This week’s predictions are done by editor Mike Ferguson, staff writer Clint Eiland, site manager Edwin Collins, staff writer Josh Mixon and recruiting analyst Jay Brading.
Clint: Fans need to be careful and not overreact to the N.C. State loss. Yes, it was incredibly disappointing. But talk of struggling to make a bowl game is still premature. That will be a more legitimate discussion if this game concludes with an FSU loss. For right now however, I think the FSU defense is able to regroup a bit and stymie an unimpressive Wake Forest offense. I don’t think the FSU offense will wow anybody, but it’ll do just enough to always have a comfortable lead for most of the game. 28-10, Florida State.
Mike: Wake Forest has played FSU tough in each of the last two years and there’s no reason to believe it cannot do so again, especially given the way the two teams have started the season. Wake Forest has a defensive line capable of giving the Seminoles fits and James Blackman is making his first career road start. With that said, FSU has the edge in talent and should be playing with a great sense of urgency. FSU picks up win No. 1, 23-15.
Edwin: At the end of the day I will predict a final score of 21-18…however, I am not prepared to pick which team will have the 21.
Josh: FSU 17, Wake Forest 10. While FSU has exponentially more talent than the Demon Deacons, I worry it’ll turn up just as unmotivated this week as it did against N.C. State. If the Noles actually show up and play – both coaches and players – then I could see them running away with it. But I just can’t see that happening. Wake Forest is a sneaky good team, but FSU’s superior talent will ultimately make the difference. James Blackman throws for one touchdown and one interception, and a late Ricky Aguayo field goal gives FSU an ugly 7-point victory.
Jay: 35-14, Florida State is my prediction, but I’ll probably be wrong. I think the defense plays more passionate this week and the offense hits some big plays and finally finds a way to finish drives. I’m picking FSU to win by three touchdowns, but I have no confidence in that prediction.
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