If you want more Action Network content, be sure to add us as a preferred source on Google.
The Virginia Cavaliers take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is set for 3:45 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Wake Forest is favored by -12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -520. The total is set at 49.5 points.
Here’s my Virginia vs. Wake Forest prediction and college football pick for Saturday, October 31.
Virginia vs Wake Forest Prediction
- Virginia vs. Wake Forest Pick: Wake Forest -12.5 (Play to -14)
My Wake Forest vs. Virginia best bet is on the Demon Deacons to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Virginia vs Wake Forest Odds
| Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 49.5 -108o / -112u | +390 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 49.5 -108o / -112u | -520 |
- Virginia vs Wake Forest point spread: Virginia +12.5 (-110), Wake Forest -12.5 (-110)
- Virginia vs Wake Forest over/under: 49.5 (-108o / -112u)
- Virginia vs Wake Forest moneyline: Virginia +390, Wake Forest -520
Virginia vs Wake Forest College Football Preview
Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview: Experience Turned into Regression
Virginia is a football team we can look to for a veteran roster gone wrong.
UVA rosters among the oldest and most experienced rosters in the country, Ã la Indiana, but it hasn't turned into a dominant force. Turns out, last year's luck was due for regression, and this Hoos team regressed.
At 4-4, UVA hasn't logged a win over a team with a winning record yet this year. It narrowly escaped Syracuse at home and, in losses, failed to score 17 points three times out of four.
The Beau Pribula experiment has been a total failure, and it's evident why Pribula has been a journeyman incapable of holding down the fort as a full-time starting quarterback.
Though UVA avoids turnovers and penalties, it just doesn't do anything meaningful with the football. The Hoos have been poor in the red zone and below average on late downs.
The inconsistent nature of this team created some shocking results. A 34-8 opening-weekend win over NC State has been offset by a 38-27 loss to West Virginia and a 38-7 blowout at the hands of Florida State.
Concerns are growing about a secondary that's currently taking on more injuries than it can afford. Safeties Ethan Minter and Brandyn Hillman, plus cornerback Omillio Agard, have all missed recent games. Safety Corey Costner is considered questionable for the game.
Top receiver Rico Flores Jr. was also shut down for the year after being in and out of the lineup multiple times this season. Top running back Jekail Middlebrook is deemed doubtful for the game.
A combination of injuries, luck regression and a defense that struggles against the run makes this a very average team. But compared to the highs of 2025, average feels like a major disappointment.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview: A Legitimate Contender
Consider the top hires in college football over the last two years: Dan Mullen? Bob Chesney? Jon Sumrall?
How about Jake Dickert?
Dickert took over a Wake Forest program that had moved on from longtime coach Dave Clawson, who dragged Wake Forest to new heights with a unique slow mesh scheme but stalled out in the NIL and transfer portal era.
He built the program from scratch, bringing in veteran names who may not jump off the page like Dan Enos and Scottie Hazelton. As a result, Dickert has built a 15-5 record to start in Winston-Salem.
It's not a fluke, either. Wake Forest's 6-1 record to start 2026 has come with emphatic wins.
The Demon Deacons' average margin of victory this year is 23.2 points per game (37.3 points per game over their last three wins). Its lone loss on the season came against a top-five Miami team.
Almost nobody fields a more effective offense this season than Wake.
It ranks No. 8 in touchdown rate (46.5% of drives), No. 9 in Adjusted EPA Per Play and No. 3 in Points Per Drive. Even if the drive doesn't end in the end zone, Wake manages to come away with points.
But unsung goes a sturdy defense that's improved quite a bit throughout the year.
Though against a pretty bad cast of opponents, Wake has held its last three foes (Stanford, NC State, Cal) to 24Â total points, and two of those games came on the road.
Wake is a capital-G Good team and a legitimate contender to make the College Football Playoff, thanks to a favorable finish to its schedule.
Virginia vs Wake Forest Pick, Betting Analysis
Action PRO tabs a handful of sharp moves on Wake Forest this week at numbers between -12.5 and -14. Despite those moves, line movement midweek favored Virginia at +14, +13.5 and +13.
The point total remained unchanged this week save for a brief — I do mean brief; it existed for all of three minutes — 50.5.
Virginia has been inconsistent this season, but one thing has been consistent: poor play away from Charlottesville. UVA played three games away from Scott Stadium and went 0-3, losing to West Virginia (in Charlotte), Florida State and SMU.
This is Virginia's third road game in five weeks and second straight road game in which the home team comes off a bye.
Wake Forest is the superior team with stronger lines of scrimmage, better coaching, a more reliable quarterback and the home-field advantage. Perhaps most importantly, Wake is healthier.
This is a physical team more than capable of overwhelming an average Hoos line and applying pressure to Pribula. UVA is beat-up and looking forward to a bye next week.
Against opponents worse than the top teams in the ACC, Dickert and the Deacs have taken no prisoners this year.
I'm siding with a well-coached team at home with a rest advantage against a team that's injured and underperforming with a minimally explosive offense.
Pick: Wake Forest -12.5 (Play to -14)
