Marco D'Angelo

THE PLAY: Wake Forest +3.5 (-109)

This is the definition of a trap game: SMU travels to Wake Forest after a statement road win against Clemson, and with a marquee matchup against Miami coming up at home next week. That Clemson victory meant a lot—it was a revenge spot after SMU lost in last year’s ACC Championship, so emotions ran high and the team emptied the tank . Now, SMU faces the challenge of going back on the road for a second consecutive week, having shifted from an underdog that pulled off an upset to a road favorite—a notoriously tough spot. Wake Forest stands at 4-2, with both losses coming back-to-back: a home defeat against NC State with a negative-2 turnover margin, followed by a heartbreaking one-point loss at Georgia Tech as a 13.5-point underdog. Wake Forest has benefitted from two full weeks to prepare for SMU, which only adds to their edge. With extra time, home field, and positive momentum, Wake Forest is positioned to pull the Upset: WAKE FOREST 31, SMU 27

THE PLAY: Nebraska -7.5 (+100)

Nebraska struggled last Friday in Minnesota, but that was a challenging scenario for them. The Cornhuskers had to play two straight road games, coming off a victory in Maryland just the week before. Notably, Nebraska hasn’t won consecutive road games since 2006. Their second game came on a short week, and when the home team doesn’t have a bye prior to a weekday matchup, the scheduling strongly favors the hosts. Nebraska’s focus was also affected by ongoing rumors linking Matt Rhule to the Penn State job, which he addressed by saying he was happy at Nebraska—though speculation inevitably lingers. Nebraska had their worst performance of the season, something unlikely to repeat. The team still holds statistical edges on both offense and defense. Meanwhile, Northwestern is riding high: first pulling off an upset versus Penn State two weeks ago, then posting a 19-0 shutout against Purdue at home. Northwestern should be feeling confident, maybe even overconfident or as like to say “Fat n Sassy”. Given recent results, the line looks far too low—likely an overreaction to the past couple weeks. Expect Nebraska to bounce back: Nebraska 34, Northwestern 20

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