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

Teams: Syracuse Orange (6-2, 3-2) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-4, 1-3)

Day & Time: Saturday, Nov. 3 at noon ET

Location: BB&T Field, Winston Salem, N.C.

Line: Syracuse, a top-25 team, opened as a 6.5 favorite, but that line has dipped to favor the Orange by 4.5 points.

TV/Streaming: Check your local RSN

Radio: Cuse.com, TK 99/105, WAER 88.3, SiriusXM: 965 (home), 989 (away)

Wake Forest blog: Blogger So Dear

Rivalry: 4-3, Syracuse

Current Streak: 2, Wake Forest

First Meeting: Smack dab in the middle of the Greg Robinson era came Syracuse’s first ever meeting with Wake Forest. With GERG in year two of his football killing spree, the Orange opened the 2006 season down in Winston Salem. Decs running back Micah Andrews gashed Syracuse’s defense, rushing for 142 yards on just 20 carries, as Wake held on for the victory, 20-10.

Last Meeting: My dad never swore a day in his life, but the closest he ever came was when he said the following: what the crap. That was as bad as it got for him verbally speaking, and, for a family-friendly site, that sums up last year’s game in the Dome perfectly. Syracuse was leading the Demon Deacons, 38-24, at the half, but was then promptly outscored 40-5 in the final two quarters. That’s a real thing that really happened. Combined, both teams accounted for a total of 1,355 yards of offense, with Wake recording a school-record 734. The 64 points from the Deacons were the most ever for an opponent at the Dome. What the crap indeed.

Head Coaches: SU: Dino Babers (3rd year, 14-18); Wake Forest: Dave Clawson (4th season, 25-33)

Coach Bio: David Clawson has been the head coach at Wake Forest since 2014. As head man, he’s 2-1 against Syracuse. Clawson, as is standard, is a football lifer who worked his way up through the ranks, including some early 90s work at Buffalo, before taking over the Fordham program in 1999. From there, Clawson went from head-coaching in the FCS level (D1-AA) to being offensive coordinator in the FCS (D1) with Tennessee.

After a year of seasoning with the Volunteers, and after getting the axe once Philip Fulmer was booted in Knoxville, Clawson took over the Bowling Green program (Hello, Dino Babers) in 2009.

Overall, as head coach, Clawson carries a 115-113 record and is 3-2 all time in bowl games.

Last Year: Wake Forest went 8-5 in 2017 and defeated Texas A&M, 55-52, to take home the Belk Bowl title in Charlotte. The Decs started last season 4-0 before losing three straight conference games. What’s interesting is that a 5-4 Wake Forest team came into the Dome last November with the season on the line. And that comeback win over the Orange led to a bowl game and a noteworthy season for Clawson’s crew.

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Last Game: Louisville opened with an early 7-0 lead this past Saturday, and then it was mostly all Wake Forest from there on out. The Decs beat down the Cardinals, 56-35 to earn their first ACC game of the season. Tailback Matt Colburn (who rushed for 237 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse in the Dome last year) churned out a career highs of 243 and three scores in Louisville.

The interesting note there is that Colburn initially committed to play for Bobby Petrino and the Cards, but Louisville pulled the scholarship offer. That move led to Colburn to look elsewhere and eventually end up at Wake. The talented running back said after the game that hatred or anger weren’t motivation, but, c’mon.

Regardless, Colburn burned Syracuse in ‘17 and appears to be firing on all cylinders right now. For an Orange defense that has had major issues stopping the run, and stopping big plays, the Wake RB could be in for a big day on Saturday.

“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Welp, it’s not too difficult to figure out that Colburn, who is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this year, will be someone to keep an eye on. In fact, Wake as a team is 18th in the country in rushing yards (233 per game).

Further, the Decs’ freshman quarterback, Sam Hartman, has thrown for four TDs and just one pick in his last two games. While Hartman isn’t exactly a dual threat to opposing defenses just yet, the frosh has rushed for over 60 yards in three contests so far in his young career.

If Syracuse Wins: The Orange would not only remain in both top-25s, Syracuse would likely move into the top 20. A win would also up the record to 7-2 and potentially make SU an even more attractive team to some of the higher up ACC bowls. Also, a victory at Wake would be the first ACC road win of 2018, and the program’s first conference victory away from home since 2016 (BC).

If Syracuse Loses: Then the Orange will fall right back out of the top 25 and a Pinstripe Bowl destination is all but a given. Syracuse just missed beating Clemson and was tripped up against a potentially better-than-we-thought Pittsburgh team. But Wake? Even after last weekend’s win at Louisville, it’s mediocre at best, and an opponent that a top-25 caliber program should defeat. A loss wouldn’t end the season, but it would take the current shine off a bit, and would show Dino Babers’s work isn’t done just yet (not that he thinks it is).

Fun Fact No. 1: Wake Forest and North Carolina are scheduled to play each other next season. That’s not a “fun fact” on its own, given that the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons are ACC mates. But the game in 2019 will actually be a non-conference contest. Back in 2015, both schools agreed to a home-and-home series as a way to combat the bloated ACC and play a “Power Five” program that just so happens to be in the same state.

Fun Fact No. 2: Brian Piccolo, the basis of the movie “Brian’s Song,” played for Wake Forest during his collegiate years. Piccolo would go on to the NFL’s Chicago Bears before battling cancer and passing away at the young age of 26. Also, not exactly a “fun fact” I suppose.