Syracuse vs. Wake Forest: TV/streaming, time, odds, history, & more

Teams: Syracuse Orange (4-5, 2-3) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-4, 2-3)

Day & Time: Saturday, November 11, 2017, 3 p.m. ET

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

Line: Syracuse opened up as 3.5-point favorites, but that’s since drifted down to a one-point spread.

TV/Streaming: RSN (check your local affiliates list) or ACC Network Extra for streamers

Radio: Syracuse IMG Network, WAER 88.3, Sirius 93/XM 193

Wake Forest blog: Blogger So Dear

Rivalry: 4-2, Syracuse leads

Current Streak: 1, Wake

First Meeting: To commemorate my first game as a Syracuse student back in 2006, Syracuse vs. Wake Forest almost never made it onto television (even locally), Once it was, I mostly wished I didn’t see it at all. The Orange had less than 150 yards of offense, yet still hung around with the Deacs despite knocking quarterback Ben Mauk out for the year. His replacement, Riley Skinner, would end up leading them to a league title. You’re welcome, Deacons.

Last Meeting: SU went down to Winston-Salem in a hurricane and left with a miserable 28-9 loss that still irks quite a few Orange fans. The weather prevented us from moving the ball through the air and we had no answer on the ground. Awful, all around.

Head Coaches: SU: Dino Babers (2nd year, 8-13), Wake Forest: Dave Clawson (4th year, 18-28)

Coach Bio: The New York (Youngstown) native played at Williams, then headed straight to Albany and then Buffalo as a position coach. After hanging around the FCS ranks (Lehigh, Villanova, Fordham, Richmond) for a couple decades, Clawson took the leap to coach Tennessee’s offense in 2008. He was there for just a season before taking the Bowling Green job and then parlayed that into the Wake Forest gig four years later. A 7-6 campaign last year may have saved his stay with the Deacs (he had back to back 3-9 seasons to start).

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Last Year: Wake ran out to a 4-0 start against a manageable schedule (smart), then found themselves a couple wins in league play to get to a bowl game. After running past a Matt Rhule-less Temple team in the Military Bowl, the Demon Deacons grabbed some momentum in the offseason and came into 2017 as a team on the rise.

Last Game: Coming off a big upset of Louisville, there seemed to be some thoughts that Wake might be able to test Notre Dame on the road. Instead, they allowed the Irish to rack up 715 yards of offense in a 48-37 WFU loss. It wasn’t really that close, though the Deacons’ offense was able to do some work against ND (especially through the air).

"Fear Me, I've Killed Hundreds of Timelords": I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s time to fear John Wolford. For years, he’s put up ho-hum numbers in a lackluster Wake Forest offense, but this year, the CLAWFFENSE has really taken hold. The quarterback has 1,991 yards through the air and another 400 on the ground. He’s accounted for 24 touchdowns and just three picks. His top target, Greg Dortch, is out for the year now. But he still has plenty of options available.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

If Syracuse Wins: We’re far from out of the woods with regard to bowl eligibility, but getting win No. 5 could definitely help Syracuse breathe a little bit easier. A long-shot second-place finish would also still be in play if NC State loses. But let’s focus more on the bowl bid first before we start eyeing other, lesser goals.

If Syracuse Loses: WAYLP. Syracuse would need to beat both Louisville and Boston College to get to the six-win plateau. That’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely. Also, having your back to the wall is rarely a good thing -- but it’s especially tough when your quarterback can barely walk at the end of every game.

Fun Fact No. 1: These schools have traded staffers quite a few times in recent years. Current Syracuse director of high school relations Asil Mulbah came to SU from Wake Forest. Also, former Deacons defensive coordinator Clark Lea was with the Orange first, then headed off to Notre Dame after Wake. As you know, Babers also followed Clawson at Bowling Green.

Fun Fact No. 2: Last year’s game was the first in this series not to feature a serious Wake Forest injury. We mentioned Ben Mauk in 2006. Along with Mauk, the Syracuse-Wake Forest series has also resulted in major injuries for Tanner Price (2011), Michael Campanaro (2013), John Wolford (2014) and K.J. Brent (2015).