Kickoff: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Clemson -21, Total: 42

No. 19 Clemson tries to stay within striking distance of an ACC title-game appearance when it travels to struggling Wake Forest on Thursday night.

After losing to both Georgia and Florida State over the first three weeks of the season, the Tigers have won their past five games SU. They have been at least six-point favorites in each game during their SU win streak while going 2-3 ATS and have failed to cover the spread in each of their past three contests. Their offense struggled at home against Syracuse most recently as they won 16-6 as 17-point favorites while allowing a mere 170 yards of offense in a sloppy contest in which the schools combined for seven turnovers. The Demon Deacons have really had a poor season, and after going 2-2 (SU and ATS) in their non-conference games, they have gone 0-4 SU (2-2 ATS) in ACC play where they average a pathetic 9.2 PPG and 164 total YPG. The team put up a valiant effort in its last game on Oct. 25 as it covered the 13-point spread against Boston College at home with a 23-17 loss. In the defeat, Wake had a mere 261 yards of offense while doing basically nothing on the ground (19 yards on 33 carries). Clemson has won five straight meetings in this series, going 4-1 ATS and winning by an average of 27.2 PPG. The club has piled up 1,183 passing yards (394 per game) in the past three meetings, including 407 in last season’s 56-7 laugher as 28.5-point favorites. In that big win, the Tigers held Wake Forest to a putrid 222 yards of total offense while forcing two turnovers. Trends show that the Tigers are 8-2 ATS after allowing 100 yards or less in their previous game over the past three seasons while being a poor 2-12 ATS after allowing 125 or less rushing yards in five straight contests since 1992. The offense for Clemson could be thin, as QB Deshaun Watson (finger) and WR Charone Peake (knee) are both listed as doubtful. Watson will reportedly dress for the game and could be available if the score gets close or backup QB Cole Stoudt (shoulder) isn't healthy enough to play. The Demon Deacons will also miss some offense as WR Matt James (hand) continues to be out.

Can Clemson extend its win streak with a blowout victory? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. StatFox Gary is heating up with a 67% ATS mark (8-4) in Best Bets over the past four weeks.

Clemson started out the year playing like a potent offense, but has recently slowed down with 23 or fewer points in each of the past three games. For the season, the Tigers are averaging 291.3 YPG through the air (22nd in FBS) and 140.8 YPG on the ground with 32.3 PPG. With QB Deshaun Watson (1,176 pass yards, 12 TD, 2 INT) only available in an emergency situation, QB Cole Stoudt (1,143 pass yards, 2 TD, 4 INT) will get the start. He has already started five games this season with unspectacular results. In those contests he has averaged just 6.3 YPA while attempting at least 29 passes in each of his starts. Freshman HB Wayne Gallman (299 rush yards, 1 TD) has been the lead back for this program and was really leaned on against Syracuse when he went for 101 yards on 28 attempts (3.6 YPC) while also having at least one catch in every game thus far. There are two receivers that need to be watched carefully by the opposing defense as WRs Mike Williams (743 rec yards, 4 TD) and Artavis Scott (502 rec yards, 3 TD) bring different styles of play while being productive. The defense has actually been a big strength for the Tigers as they are allowing a very low 18.3 PPG (10th in FBS) and the second-fewest total yards in the nation (268.8 YPG). Much of the strong play stems from senior DL Vic Beasley (20 tackles, 8 sacks) while LB Stephone Anthony (49 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT) leads the team in tackles.

While Clemson’s offense has been average, the Demon Deacons offense has been horrendous as they rank 108th in the nation in passing (179.0 YPG) and 128th in rushing (34.5 YPG) while scoring a miniscule 14.8 PPG (126th in FBS). QB John Wolford (1,377 pass yards, 7 TD, 13 INT) has had his issues as a freshman and has thrown at least one pick in every game on the season while attempting 30 or more passes in 5-of-8 contests. No runner has done well in this backfield, but HB Orville Reynolds (143 rush yards, 1 TD) is the best of the bunch despite averaging just 2.4 YPC. WRs E.J. Scott (373 rec yards, 4 TD) and Cam Serigne (340 rec yards, 2 TD) each have over 30 receptions while averaging less than 11 yards per catch. The defense is not as embarrassing as the offense, as the unit allows 24.6 PPG (54th in nation) to the opposition. DB Ryan Janvion (79 tackles, 5 TFL) and LB Brandon Chubb (70 tackles, 1 sack) hope they can breathe some life into the team with a solid defensive effort on Thursday.