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Wake Forest comes off a wild victory over Utah State in its season opener, while Rice looks to bounce back from near-upset of Army last week. Granted, it was easier for the Owls to prepare for Army's one-dimensional offense than it will be against Wake's up-tempo, multi-formation attack. But thanks to a handful of graduate transfers, the Owls look much improved. Coach Mike Bloomgren comes from the Stanford coaching tree and the pro-style approach tends to shorten the game. It's difficult to see the Deacons getting enough separation to cover this number.
Rice wants to run the ball 70 percent of the time and plays very slow. Wake Forest allowed Utah State 262 rushing yards at 5.5 yards per carry. Rice should be able to move the ball in between the 20s.
Wake Forest was tested against Utah State and emerged with a late victory. The Demon Deacons' offensive firespower is going to be too much against overmatched rice, and the Owls won't be able to keep up. Wake covers in a robust 67 percent of my simulations.