The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-4, 1-4) go on the road to take on the Duke Blue Devils (5-3, 2-2) Thursday evening. This game will continue our college football odds series as we hand out a Wake Forest-Duke prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

Wake Forest is 1-4 in the ACC, and only one of those games has been close. Mitch Griffs has been the starting quarterback all season, and he is doing alright. He has passed for 1,293 yards, and nine touchdowns. On the ground, Wake Forest averages just 3.4 yards per carry. However, their three top backs average 4.5 yards or above. Demond Claiborne is the top running back on the team. He has rushed for 493 yards, and five touchdowns to lead the team. 10.5 of Wake Forest's 18 sacks have come from Jasheen Davis and Jacob Roberts. Dashawn Jones has three interceptions for the Demon Deacons.

Duke started the season off 5-1, but they have lost the last two games. Those losses came against Florida State and Louisville. Their other loss of the season came against Notre Dame. Riley Leonard is the leader of the offense under center, but he has only passed for three touchdowns. He has, however, thrown for 1,102 yards. Jordan Waters has been running crazy for the Blue Devils this season. He has rushed for 488 yards, and nine touchdowns. As a team, Duke has 18 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Duke has 34 pass deflections and six interceptions.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Wake Forest-Duke Odds

Wake Forest: +12.5 (-110)

Duke: -12.5 (-110)

Over: 44.5 (-105)

Under: 44.5 (-115)

How to Watch Wake Forest vs. Duke Week 9

Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Wake Forest Will Cover The Spread

The strongest part of Duke's game is their rush offense. Waters is a very good running back, and he will be relied on heavily in this game. This means Wake Forest needs to find a way to shut down the running game. The Demon Deacons allow 128.0 rush yards per game this season. It seems like a lot, but it is the fifth-lowest in the ACC. If Wake Forest can find a way to shut down the Duke running backs, they will cover this spread.

Why Duke Will Cover The Spread

Duke has the fourth-best total defense in the ACC. They allow just 320.3 yards per game this season. Wake Forest struggles in ACC play, and they can not seem to get much going. Duke beats the teams they are supposed to beat, and Wake Forest is one of those teams. Duke's defense should have no problem shutting down Wake Forest in this game.

Wake Forest allows the fourth-most yards in the ACC. They have also allowed 24.5 points per game this season. This is good news for Waters and the Blue Devils. Leonard is not one to pass for a bunch of yards lately, but he does have a decent matchup against Wake Forest. If Duke can put up 28+ points, that will be enough to cover the spread.

Final Wake Forest-Duke Prediction & Pick

This game is probably going to be closer than people think. It is a conference game, and those are never easy. However, the game is at Duke, and I like them to take control from the start. I will be taking Duke to cover this spread. I also would not be surprised to see the Over hit.

Final Wake Forest-Duke Prediction & Pick: Duke -12.5 (-110), Over 44.5 (-105)