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2009 Wake Forest College Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

wake 72109 Wake Forest rode its strong defense to an 8-5 season and an EagleBank Bowl victory over Navy in 2008, but the Demon Deacons return just four starters from that exceptional unit. Find out where I have Wake finishing in the ACC Atlantic Division in this 2009 NCAA football betting preview. Wake Forest is listed at +10,000 to win the 2009 BCS championship.

Offense – An explosive offense is something we haven’t come to expect under head coach Jim Grobe. Rather, it’s been a unit asked to play mistake-free football and to burn clock with its ground game. But the Demon Deacs scored just 21.0 points per game last season (95th nationally) and gained only 308.3 yards per game (101st nationally). Even the reliable running game struggled behind an offensive line which just couldn’t cut it. All of last year’s lineman return and hopefully the experienced gained will be enough to help them perform better. Quarterback Riley Skinner is coming off a 2,347-yard season, in which he threw 13 touchdown strikes. The senior should hold almost all of Wake’s career passing marks by the end of the season. Wake has depth at the running back spot with Kevin Harris and Josh Adams expected to get the most totes. The wide receiver unit takes a hit with the loss of D.J. Boldin. Now junior wideout Marshall Williams will be asked to step up following a 26-catch sophomore campaign.

Defense – Talent remains on the defense but much experience does not. The Deacs have relied on this unit to force turnovers and even put points on the board, and the team will greatly miss those things if this group isn’t able to get the job done. The defensive line looks solid with three starters coming back. Boo Robinson and John Russell anchor the unit after combining for 13 stops behind the line of scrimmage last year. Defensive end Kyle Wilber is a name to watch for on the outside at the end spot. The Deacs took a major hit in the linebacker corps after losing all three starters from last year’s team. The remaining backers don’t have the same kind of speed we saw on the field last season. Matt Woodlief, Hunter Haynes, and Joey Ehrmann are the early favorites to take on starting roles. The secondary lacks depth and experience. Senior cornerback Brandon Ghee will once again assume a starting role but he will be joined by three new starters.

Prediction: 4th ACC Atlantic – The offense should be better than it was a year ago as long as the line shows the type of improvement that is expected. But it likely won’t be improved enough to make up for all the big losses from a defense which held opponents to just 18.3 points per game and 296.7 yards per game last season. It looks like Wake will be taking a bit of a step back as the team breaks in quite a few new starters on defense. Wake Forest is listed at +425 to win the ACC Atlantic crown.

Put your trust in Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks for consistent winners against the college football odds this season.

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