The Western Carolina Catamounts take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, NC. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
Wake Forest is favored by 19.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -900. The total is set at 61.5 points.
Here’s my Western Carolina vs Wake Forest prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Western Carolina vs Wake Forest Prediction
- Western Carolina vs Wake Forest Pick: Western Carolina +20 or Better | Under 60 or Better
My Western Carolina vs Wake Forest best bet is on Western Carolina against the spread and the under. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Western Carolina vs Wake Forest Odds
| W. Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+19.5 -110 | 61.5 -110o / -110u | +600 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-19.5 -110 | 61.5 -110o / -110u | -900 |
- Western Carolina vs Wake Forest point spread: Western Carolina +19.5 (-110), Wake Forest -19.5 (-110)
- Western Carolina vs Wake Forest over/under: 61.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Western Carolina vs Wake Forest moneyline: Western Carolina +600, Wake Forest -900
Western Carolina vs Wake Forest Preview
Western Carolina Catamounts Betting Preview: Looking to Get Back on Track
Ranked inside the top 10 this preseason, Western Carolina stumbled out of the gate. The Catamounts scored plenty of points, but the defense didn't do its part as WCU fell to Gardner-Webb, 52-45.
WCU appeared to have the game in hand before it collapsed in the fourth quarter, giving up 24 points and the game.
Two turnovers did the job — a fumble and an interception — leading to 10 Gardner-Webb points on the ensuing drives.
It's important to note that the Catamounts made a quarterback switch early in the game after the starter — freshman Isaac Lee — went just 3-for-9. Sophomore Bennett Judy stepped in and threw for 157 yards, two touchdowns and that critical late-game interception. Twice WCU scored on short fields.
This game was truly wild – four scoring drives came on short fields and that doesn't include a few empty drives that began near midfield. It was truly an inflated total.
WCU allowed 132 yards and four rushing touchdowns to GWU quarterback Nate Hampton, plus another two through the air.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview: Not a Good Team This Season
Preseason concerns were validated in Week 1 – guys, Wake Forest is going to be really bad.
Against what should've been an overmatched opponent, Wake Forest mustered 10 points, seven of which came on the opening drive.
Transfer quarterback Robby Ashford was fine enough (20-28, 218 yards and 42 rushing yards), but he was unable to lead the Demon Deacons on a single drive of 40+ yards until a late-third quarter field goal.
Star running back Demond Claiborne exited the game early and sported a non-contact jersey early in the week at practice. After Claiborne left the game, the offense came to a screeching halt. That injury is super concerning, especially since Claiborne wasn't taking contact as of Tuesday.
Lucky for Wake, Kennesaw State's offense was equally atrocious. That's not to discredit the Deacons' defense – it did what it needed to and played well against a poor scoring unit.
With or without Claiborne, I'm treating Wake like a bottom-20 FBS offense this season. There's no schematic advantage nor really a player advantage against average teams.
Without Claiborne, Wake doesn't have any player advantages on offense.
Western Carolina vs Wake Forest Pick, Betting Analysis
If you're here betting or otherwise consuming this game, godspeed. We're in the serious sicko status here.
Wake Forest probably quickly heads to my do-not-watch list this season. The offensive system is bland, and the Deacons don't have the players to accommodate for it.
There's a strong chance this offense is putrid all season long, and I'm not expecting huge changes this coming week, even against another overmatched opponent.
The good news is Ashford should have a much better game against WCU, which really struggled to contain GWU's dual-threat talent. Despite his SEC pedigree, Ashford is a low-level Power 4 quarterback.
Wake was likely the only Power 4 spot he could win the job, and that's certainly why he transferred from South Carolina to Winston-Salem this offseason. He should take care of the ball and enjoy some success on the ground.
But it's a serious issue if Ashford isn't able to push the ball downfield and lead Wake Forest on more scoring drives against the Kennesaw States of the world – Week 1 or not.
The other side to this is that WCU's total from last week was a bit inflated. Short fields, turnovers galore and a spotty explosive offense led to a 97-point shootout. But on a down-to-down basis — and if you look at the drives that started in the teams' own territories — the points really weren't flying.
Is this week's opponent any more formidable? According to power ratings, not really, but they're also not much worse than Kennesaw State (about a four-point difference, according to aggregate power ratings).
Wake was favored by 17.5 points last week over Kennesaw State. If this number doesn't adjust for how bad the Deacons could be, I'm jumping on Western Carolina early.
Adjusting for Week 1, I'd favor Wake Forest by 13.5 points over Kennesaw State again this weekend. With about a four-point difference between WCU and Kennesaw State, I'd make Wake Forest a 17-18 point favorite.
Jake Dickert's impact on Wake is going to take time. Week 2 this year isn't that time.
Pick: Western Carolina +20 or Better | Under 60 or Better
