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The Liberty Flames take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Check out our college football odds series for our Liberty Wake Forest prediction and pick.
Charlie Brewer is one of the most injured college football players in recent memory. Brewer was constantly banged up for Baylor in 2019, when he led the Bears to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff. Baylor took Oklahoma into overtime in the 2019 Big 12 Championship Game. Had the Bears won that game, they would have been a playoff team. Brewer transferred to Utah for the 2021 season. He was ineffective early in the season but also got hurt. He decided to transfer to Liberty for the 2022 season. Guess what happened early in the campaign? Yes, he got injured, suffering a concussion which has forced the Flames to go deep into their depth chart at quarterback. Liberty has had to play second- and third-stringers at quarterback.
With that in mind, a Week 2 game against UAB — which has been one of the better programs in Conference USA in recent years — seemed to be a challenge the Flames were not likely to meet. Yet, Liberty's defense was absolutely brilliant in a 21-14 win over the Blazers. Liberty football under Hugh Freeze continues to show that it is a tough out in college football. Though the program has been part of the Football Bowl Subdivision for a very short period of time, Freeze (a coach plagued by scandal and followed by controversy for much of his career) knows his way around Xs and Os. Say what you want about Liberty off the field, but Freeze can coach, and it continues to emerge just how good he is between the white lines on Saturdays.
For Wake Forest, optimism reigns. Sam Hartman came back to the lineup in Week 2, which was earlier than a lot of people were expecting in late August. At that point in time, no one really knew when the star quarterback would be able to rejoin the team following a medical episode which prevented him from playing in the season opener against VMI on Sept. 1. Hartman's quick return inspired his teammates. In Week 2 against Vanderbilt, Wake Forest looked like the potent, capable force it was in 2021, when it won the ACC Atlantic Division championship and reached the ACC Championship Game before losing to Kenny Pickett and Pittsburgh.
Hartman directed an effective Wake Forest offense in a 45-25 win over Vanderbilt. Having their leader and their best offensive player in the huddle gave the Demon Deacons an enormous lift. Wake Forest will certainly count on Hartman to carry the workload against Liberty and throughout the rest of the season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Liberty-Wake Forest College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Liberty-Wake Forest Odds
Liberty Flames: +16.5 (-108)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons: -16.5 (-112)
Over: 63.5 (-110)
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Under: 63.5 (-110)
Why Liberty Could Cover the Spread
The Flames' defense is for real. The effort against UAB was special. The ability to win even in the midst of all the injuries at the quarterback position shows how resourceful and tough this team is. That will enable Liberty to stay close against Wake Forest and cover the spread.
Why Wake Forest Could Cover the Spread
Sam Hartman makes Wake Forest an elite offensive team. If you want to choose between the Liberty defense and the Wake Forest offense, Hartman should make your decision clear. If Wake scores at least 40 points in this game, it should be able to cover.
Final Liberty-Wake Forest Prediction & Pick
Wake will score at least 45 in this game. The Demon Deacons will indeed cover.
Final Liberty-Wake Forest Prediction & Pick: Wake Forest -16.5
