The Miami Hurricanes take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Friday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Miami is favored by -20.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1700. Wake Forest, meanwhile, enters as a +20.5 underdog and is +890 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 56.5 total points.
Here’s my Miami vs. Wake Forest prediction and college football pick for Friday, September 18.
Miami vs Wake Forest Prediction
- Miami vs. Wake Forest Pick: Miami 1Q -6.5 (-120) · Malachi Toney Over 95.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
My Wake Forest vs. Miami best bets are on the Hurricanes to cover the first-quarter spread and for wide receiver Malachi Toney to go over his receiving yards prop of 95.5. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Miami vs Wake Forest Odds
| Miami Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-20.5 -112 | 56.5 -110o / -110u | -1700 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+20.5 -108 | 56.5 -110o / -110u | +890 |
- Miami vs Wake Forest point spread: Miami -20.5 (-112), Wake Forest +20.5 (-108)
- Miami vs Wake Forest over/under: 56.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Miami vs Wake Forest moneyline: Miami -1700, Wake Forest +890
Miami vs Wake Forest College Football Preview
Miami Hurricanes Betting Preview
The fifth-ranked Hurricanes have looked phenomenal in their first two games of the 2026 season. Head coach Marco Cristobal’s bunch has prevailed by an average win margin of 55 points, scoring 122 points in the process.
While many speculated whether or not former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah would mesh with wide receiver Malachi Toney, those concerns were quickly put to rest in Miami’s 45-6 victory over Stanford in Week 1.
Mensah completed 27 of his 30 passing attempts for over 400 yards and five touchdowns, while Toney went ballistic as well, catching 12 passes for 234 yards and three scores.
Not only did the two stake their claim as the top QB/WR combo in all of college football, but both Mensah and Toney established themselves as legitimate Heisman Trophy contenders.
In Week 2, the Hurricanes blew the doors off Florida A&M, 77-7, in a game they could have won by far more.
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson has a stellar track record when it comes to maximizing high-profile transfer QBs very early in the season, having done so with the likes of Cam Ward and Carson Beck.
Dawson’s impact has been evident over the first two weeks of the season, as the Hurricanes boast the top offensive unit in college football heading into Week 3.
Miami's defensive unit will be shorthanded in its secondary on Friday night with both of its Week 1 starting cornerbacks, OJ Frederique and Xavier Lucas, expecting to miss several weeks.
Miami gets its first real "test" of the season against a Wake Forest squad that's also 2-0 and will be looking to pull off a shocking upset.
Still, the ‘Canes head into Winston-Salem as 20.5-point road favorites, really conveying how highly betting markets value a Miami squad that's elite on both sides of the football.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview
Wake Forest heads into its biggest game of the season thus far with a ton of momentum after winning both of its first two contests under second-year head coach Jake Dickert.
The Deacs most recently survived a double-overtime thriller in a 38-36 victory over Purdue on the road in West Lafayette.
North Carolina transfer quarterback Gio Lopez leads a Wake Forest offense that has scored 76 points over its first two games of the season.
Lopez has looked fantastic, racking up 575 passing yards to go with four touchdowns.
Running back Ty Clark III and wide receiver Carlos Hernandez both played massive roles in the victories and will undoubtedly need exceptional performances if the Demon Deacons are to pull off a massive top-five upset.
There are a lot more concerns about Wake’s play on the other side of the football, with opposing offenses averaging 26 points per game over the first two weeks of the season. It's more concerning that neither Akron nor Purdue boasts elite offensive units.
While linebackers Vincent Firenze and Aiden Hall have stood out as great playmakers for this defense, Friday night’s matchup will be very telling for the rest of the season.
Miami vs Wake Forest Pick, Betting Analysis
Though Wake Forest has looked fairly impressive over the first two games of the season, giving up 26 PPG to Akron and Purdue stands out as a major red flag to me.
Cristobal’s offense has looked like the best in the nation thus far, and I have serious reservations about this Wake pass rush and secondary containing Toney and Co.
That said, I'll be looking to back the Hurricanes in two different ways.
Despite Miami likely playing in front of a hostile Demon Deacon crowd, I expect the 'Canes to be unfazed and for Wake's defense to get hit with a reality check very early.
I feel confident backing the 'Canes to cover their -6.5 first-quarter spread. I also expect another strong performance for Toey, so I'll bet the over on his receiving yards prop.
Pick: Miami 1Q -6.5 (-112) · Malachi Toney Over 95.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
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Miami vs Wake Forest Betting Trends
