Wake Forest over Notre Dame

Wake Forest is a nice story. The little college football program that could. The Deacons have been mildly competitive recently in the ACC, despite a meager fan base, no tradition and a stadium that seats 31,500.

But no way should Wake Forest be able to stand up to eighth-ranked Notre Dame.

Yet hold on. The Fighting Irish are 3-0 this season, but all three games have been at home. And though a 24-17 win over Michigan is impressive, a 24-16 survival of Ball State and a 22-17 squeaker over Vanderbilt makes you wonder about Notre Dame’s prowess.

In the previous five years, Notre Dame is 8-13 in true road games. Sure, the Irish have played at Southern Cal and Stanford several times. They’ve lost at North Carolina State, Arizona State and Pitt.

Notre Dame is a seven-point favorite over the 2-1 Deacons, but let’s go with Wake Forest in the upset.