It is the start of Week 1 of the college football season as the Elon Phoenix take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. It is time to continue our college football odds series with an Elon-Wake Forest prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

In 2022 Elon went 8-4, making the FCS playoffs out of the Coastal Athletic Association. They opened the season against an FBS opponent like they are doing this year. In that game, they fell 42-31 to Vanderbilt. They would then win their next five games, and over the season would upset William & Mary, Richmond, and Delaware.

While Elon will break in a new quarterback this year, the Phoenix bring back plenty of help on offense. The defense that was one of the best in the CAA lost a lot, losing its All-American linebacker Marcus Hillman, but they still should be solid and will look to show that against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest will also be breaking in a new quarterback as Sam Hartman went to Notre Dame. Last year, it was an 8-5 season for Wake Forest under Dave Clawson ending in a Gasparilla Bowl victory.

Not only is Harman gone, but so is one of his backups, Brett Griffis, along with A.T. Perry and three other receivers on offense. Still, plenty of weapons return for a Demon Deacon squad that led the ACC in scoring last year. On defense, the expectation is another solid season from the pass rush. It has an experienced secondary now, and that should also improve the defense overall.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Elon-Wake Forest Odds

Elon: +31.5 (-110)

Wake Forest: -31.5  (-110)

Over: 52.5 (-105)

Under: 52.5 (-115)

How to Watch Elon vs. Wake Forest

TV: ACC Network

Stream: FuboTV

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Elon Will Cover The Spread

For Elon to be able to keep this game close, it has to start with Matthew Downing. Downing is now at his fourth different school in his career, starting at Georgia, before two years at TCU and last year at Louisiana Tech. He has taken the majority of snaps in three games in his career and played well.

In 2020 as a member of TCU, he faced Iowa State, where he went 11-for-21 with a touchdown and 158 yards. Last year he made two starts, throwing three touchdowns and four interceptions and 356 yards. Still, Downing has not won a game as a college starter.

He will have a quality offensive line in front of him, though. Elon returns four of the five starters from a line that gave up the least amount of sacks in the CAA. It also had a good year running the ball. Jalen Hampton returns in the backfield after a stellar freshman year. He ran for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. He should be even better this year after getting off to a slow start in his rookie campaign.

The defense will also have to step up in this one. Bo Sanders will be the focal point of the defense. He was the only member of this Elon defense that was nominated for a preseason all-conference team. He had a knack for showing up in big games too.

In the upset of William & Mary, he had seven tackles and an interception. In the upset of Richmond, he had 11 tackles and forced a fumble. If he can make a big play in this way, Elon may be able to keep it close. He will be joined with Dylan Tucker, who is returning from missing all last year with an injury. This was a solid defense last year and only looks to improve.

Why Wake Forest Will Cover The Spread

Mitch Griffis will most likely be taking over this offense, replacing Sam Hartman. The sophomore did get some time last year after redshirting and taking his COVID season. Last year, he got the start against VMI and went 21-for-29 for 288 yards and three scores while Sam Hartman was out. He also did well in mop-up duty last year, so there is hope he can take a step up and replace Hartman.

If it is not him, it will most likely be Michael Kern. Kern has not played meaningful time since 2020, but he is going to be in the fifth year in this system, which is a Dave Clawson system that helps a lot.

Justice Ellison will most likely be the lead back and have to be the workhorse unless someone steps up. Last year, he split carries with Christian Turner and Quinton Cooley, but both of them left. He was a solid back last year, running for 707 yards and six scores.

Still, there is concern about the offensive live. Michael Jurgens is a solid lineman, but last year's young backups will be going into starting roles this year. Many of them struggled in their time last year, and they will need to show they are ready to be the main guys if Wake Forest is going to keep taking a step forward.

Wake Forest also has to replace Perry, but they have the veteran help and transfer Merrill Walker to do that. Donavan Greene and Jahmal Banks combined for nearly 1,300 yards last year while scoring 15 total touchdowns. With those two and Taylor Morin, who scored nine times last year, the offense should not miss much in the passing game if Griffis has time to get the ball downfield.

Final Elon-Wake Forest Prediction & Pick

This game will be won by Wake Forest, but the Elon defense is solid. With Wake Forest trying to break in a new quarterback and new offensive line, there could be some early blunders.

Meanwhile, Elon has a veteran offensive line and a solid running game that should help them move the ball. This offense was one of the most efficient in FCS last year, and the Phoenix hung around against Vanderbilt.

Wake Forest will get knocked on the national stage for this game, but this is a game where the Demon Deacons need to work on things to make sure they are prepared for the season. It will still be a solid season for the Demon Deacons, but they do not cover in this one.

Final Elon-Wake Forest Prediction & Pick: Elon +31.5 (-110)