Miami vs Wake Forest Prediction: Odds, expert picks, team and player news, betting trends, and stats
· Yahoo Sports
The #5 Miami Hurricanes (2-0) go on the road to face Wake Forest (2-0) on Friday night! Miami has a juggernaut offense and Wake Forest will be challenged with not becoming burnt toast. The Hurricanes scored 45 and 77 points with 549 and 856 total yards through two games. Wake Forest put up 38 points in each of their first two games, so we may have a shootout on our hands!
Gio Lopez takes over at Wake Forest and so far so good for the former Tar Heel. He's totaled six touchdowns through two games, three apiece and 672 yards. The Demon Deacons are tied 20th with 559 yards per game and 37th in team passing efficiency. However, against Akron and Purdue, Wake Forest ranks 99th in defensive passing efficiency, which should spell issues with Miami in town.
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Darian Mensah leads the country in total passing yards (653) through two games and the Hurricanes average the second-most yards per game (702.5). Miami's pass offense ranks 3rd in team passing efficiency and the Hurricanes come in at 25th defensively. Miami is coming off a 77-7 drumming off FCS Florida A&M and comes in with a two day rest advantage over Wake Forest.
Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.
Game Details and How to Watch Miami vs Wake Forest
- Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
- Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
- Site: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
- City: Winston-Salem, NC
- TV/Streaming: ESPN
Game Odds for Miami vs Wake Forest
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Miami Hurricanes (-1350), Oklahoma State Cowboys (+800)
- Spread: Miami -20.5 (-115)
- Total: 56.5 points
Miami Hurricanes
Head Coach: Mario Cristobal
2026 Record: 2-0 (1-0)
Offensive Points Per Game: 61.0 (2nd)
Defensive Points Per Game: 6.5 (T-5th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 104th
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 46th
The Miami Hurricanes Offense:
Some people think Notre Dame has the best offense, others say LSU. I think it's Miami. The Hurricanes are stacked at every position and Darian Mensah has yet to be sacked. The offense has 69 first downs and had 42 against Florida A&M alone. That tuneup game allowed Miami to set a program record in yards (856) and top three performance in points (77). Mark Flecther Jr. has 155 total yards and two touchdowns, while Malachi Toney hauled in 16 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns.
Miami Player to Watch on Offense: QB Darian Mensah
It's hard for Darian Mensah to be better. He leads the country in passing yards (653), the Hurricanes rank second in total yards per game (702.5), and ranks third in passing touchdowns (8). Mensah is the Heisman favorite entering Week 3 at +550 to +600 odds. Last year versus Wake Forest, Mensah threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-35, plus ran for a one-yard score in a 49-32 win with Duke.
The Miami Hurricanes Defense:
The Miami Hurricanes defense has flown under the radar because of how exciting the offense is. Granted they've played Stanford and Florida A&M, the Hurricanes defense has been stout. Miami held Stanford and Florida A&M to a combined 109 rushing yards on 58 carries (1.8 ypc). Their two opponents have gone 6-of-29 on third downs ( ), but the one bug-a-boo of Miami so far would have to be zero turnovers forced. The more extra possessions for the offense makes Miami that much closer to being unbeatable.
Miami Player to Watch on Defense: DL Marquise Lightfoot
Lightfoot leads Miami with 11 tackles through two games and one of three players to record a sack so far for the Canes. Lightfoot had 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks last year with Miami and should crush all this numbers this year. The 6-foot-5 edge rusher will be tasked with slowing down the dual threat Gio Lopez who was sacked twice last week but ran for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
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Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Head Coach: Jake Dickert
2026 Record: 2-0
Offensive Points Per Game: 38.0 (T-42nd)
Defensive Points Per Game: 26.0 (97th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 81st
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 43rd
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons Offense:
Wake Forest put up 411 and 559 total yards of offense through their first two games. The Demon Deacons have been rolling from the start with 45 of their 76 points in the first half. The running game has found success with 186 and 203 yards and 12-of-26 on third downs. Penalties have been an issue as Wake Forest committed 11 for 115 yards versus Akron and four for 50 yards against Purdue.
Wake Forest Player to Watch on Offense: QB Gio Lopez
After a disaster of a year at North Carolina, Gio Lopez rolls into Wake Forest refurbished. The junior quarterback has 575 passing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 97 rushing yards and two more scores. Lopez is arguably on his best two-game stretch dating back to last season, but runs into a buzzsaw. While Lopez has been sacked at least two times in nine of the last 13 games, he hasn't thrown an interception in seven-straight games! That streak will surely be a sweat against Miami.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons Defense:
The Demon Deacons gave up 329 passing yards to Purdue and 455 total yards of offense. Purdue went 7-of-14 on third downs and completed 32 of their 42 passes. Despite the secondary struggling, the front seven had a day with eight tackles for a loss and three sacks. Wake Forest had seven tackles for a loss and two sacks versus Akron, so the front seven is the best chance at keeping this conference game close.
Wake Forest Player to Watch on Defense: LB Vincent Firenze
The hype has been real around Vincent Firenze. At Dayton last year, Firenze recorded 85 tackles, three interceptions, one sack, seven pass deflections, and two touchdowns! Through two games with Wake Forest, Firenze leads the team with 20 tackles after 11 against Purdue and 9 versus Akron. Firenze forced and recovered a fumble in the season-opener against Akron, plus added a pass breakup against Purdue.
Miami and Wake Forest Team Stats, Betting Trends
- Miami is 2-0 ATS and 2-0 to the Over this season
- Wake Forest is 0-2 ATS and 2-0 to the Over
- Wake Forest is 4-7-1 ATS as a home underdog since 2021
- Wake Forest is 7-5 to the Over as a home underdog since 2021
- Miami went 2-2 ATS as a road favorite last season
- Miami went 3-1 to the Under as a road favorite last season
- Wake Forest is 7-6 to the Under against ranked opponents since 2021
- Wake Forest is 5-8 ATS against ranked opponents since 2021
Rotoworld Best Bets
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans Ty Clark III to go Under his 30.5 yard rushing prop:
"Wake Forest has a committee in the running game that includes their quarterback Gio Lopez. He led Wake Forest with 14 carries last week, then Ty Clark III and Deuce Lawrence each recorded 12 carries. Miami held Stanford to 78 rushing yards on 23 carries (3.4) and the leading rusher had 41 yards with a long of 27. Only Lopez and Clark have rushing props for Wake Forest and I like Clark's Under at 30.5 after 36 yards versus Purdue on 12 carries. Miami has a hellish front."
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