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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons take on the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, KY. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Louisville is favored by -13.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -550. The total is set at 57.5 points.
Here’s my Wake Forest vs. Louisville prediction and college football pick for Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Wake Forest vs Louisville Prediction
- Wake Forest vs. Louisville Pick: Over 57.5
My Louisville vs. Wake Forest best bet is on the over. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page and be sure to download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis.
Wake Forest vs Louisville Odds
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13.5 -112 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | +400 |
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13.5 -108 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | -550 |
- Wake Forest vs Louisville point spread: Louisville -13.5 (-108), Wake Forest +13.5 (-112)
- Wake Forest vs Louisville over/under: 57.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Wake Forest vs Louisville moneyline: Wake Forest +400, Louisville -550
Wake Forest vs Louisville College Football Preview
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview
After a road overtime victory over Purdue, Wake Forest returned home to welcome Miami as a three-touchdown underdog. Friday nights in the ACC can get wacky, but the Hurricanes were dominant early and built a 31-7 lead.
However, the Demon Deacons stormed back and won the second half 13-9 to secure their first cover of the season.
The Demon Deacons are averaging 32 points per game and have to be encouraged by the play of quarterback Gio Lopez.
After looking like an ascending star at South Alabama, Lopez couldn't get anything going at North Carolina last season. He failed to throw for 2,000 yards and his touchdowns were nearly cut in half, going from 25 combined to 13 in his first year in the ACC.
However, reunited with his former offensive coordinator Rob Ezell in Winston-Salem, Lopez is averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game, has thrown for seven touchdowns against one interception, and has added two more scores on the ground.
He's listed as questionable with a hip injury for this game.
His top target has been wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who followed head coach Jake Dickert from Washington State last season. Hernandez's career-highs in a season are 40 receptions for 611 yards.
However, he's well on his way to shattering those marks, as he already has 21 receptions for 322 yards to go along with two touchdowns.
Thus far, Wake Forest has been more explosive than efficient, ranking third in the FBS in explosiveness, but 116th in Success Rate. More consistency in the run game would help.
Running back Ty Clark went for 105 rushing yards against Akron, but he has just 39 yards on 13 carries over his last two games. The Demon Deacons are averaging 4.6 yards per carry as a team this season.
Defensively, Wake Forest has six sacks and forced two turnovers in its three games, but it's still been disruptive overall. It ranks 21st in Havoc and seventh in passing success rate allowed.
Moving up from the FCS level hasn't been an issue for linebacker Vincent Firenze thus far. After 85 tackles and three interceptions at Dayton last season, the junior has 26 tackles already to lead the team, as well as a forced fumble.
Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview
Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz has been a perfect fit in Jeff Brohm's offense. Through three games, the redshirt junior has thrown for 816 yards and six touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes.
He's added 153 rushing yards, four more touchdowns, and has yet to commit a turnover. He heads into this matchup in the top 15 nationally in yards per pass attempt, yards per completion, total offense, and rushing touchdowns
However, he's not without a plethora of weapons. Running backs Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown both ran for 700 yards last year and are in store for another big year.
Isaac Brown got on track with 67 yards and a touchdown against SMU. He's generally viewed as the more explosive back of the two, but it's Keyjuan Brown who's averaging 12.8 yards per carry this season.
When you add in Kienholz's presence in the run game, Louisville ranks 11th in Rushing Rate and 40th in Rushing Explosiveness. Three Cardinals are averaging over 50 receiving yards per game, led by Tre Richardson.
The senior has 15 receptions for 243 yards, a touchdown and has recorded 60 yards or more in each of his first three games. Richardson and Keyjuan Brown are among seven Cardinals listed as probable for this week.
It may sound strange to say, in a game with 72 points, but Louisville's defense was the difference against SMU last week. It forced three turnovers, one of which negated an SMU touchdown, in a game Louisville won by 10 points.
The Cardinals are +6 in turnover margin this season, which will go a long way when paired with a high-powered offense on the other side.
Safety Kaleb Beasley has led the way with 22 tackles and two interceptions on the year. Another big performance may be needed from him as the Cardinals may be without senior Antonio Watts, who plays the STAR position in their hybrid 4-2-5 scheme.
Wake Forest vs Louisville Pick, Betting Analysis
Wake Forest and Louisville last met in 2022, the last of six consecutive meetings in conference play. The over hit in each of those games despite the total landing between 64 and 67.5 points each year.
Those meetings predate either Dickert's or Brohm's time at their current program, but their offenses should produce fireworks once again.
Louisville has scored 38 points in each of its first three games despite its star back Isaac Brown getting off to a slow start.
The Cardinals will only get more explosive offensively as he continues to round into form. They now get a Wake Forest defense that's allowed over 30 points in each of its last two games.
Meanwhile, explosive plays have been the name of the game for Wake Forest's offense. A quick score or two may grant more possessions in this game and more opportunities to clear the over, particularly if it is playing from behind as oddsmakers project with the spread.
I believe this game gets into the 60s, and I see a bit of value with the total being under 58 points.
Pick: Over 57.5 (Play to 58.5)
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Wake Forest vs Louisville Betting Trends
