1. Take Wake Forest seriously. There's nothing on the Demon Deacons' resume that suggests they'll give Notre Dame much of a fight on Saturday. Wake is 3-6, ranks 93rd in F/+ and is projected by Bill Connelly's numbers to lose by just under 30 points. Notre Dame is far more talented that the rebuilding project Dave Clawson leads into South Bend, but this is November and weird stuff can happen, so veteran players and coaches are keenly aware of the potential for a late-season upset (however unlikely the numbers say that is). But if Notre Dame plays with a certain level of focus, stays on its assignments, catches passes, doesn't commit careless turnovers, etc., it'll cruise to a comfortable win. Back in 2012, Notre Dame played that way against a similarly sub-optimal Wake Forest side and won, 38-0, in the two programs' last meeting.
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2. Stay healthy. Whether or not running back C.J. Prosise plays Saturday remains to be determined, though it would seem unlikely the explosive redshirt junior will play given he only was able to participate in non-contact portions of practice Thursday, his first day of practice this week. But beyond blowing out Wake Forest and showing the College Football Playoff selection committee an ability to take care of business against a bad team, the most important thing to come out of Saturday's game will be Notre Dame's health. This is a team that's overcome an avalanche of injuries already, but losing a key player against Wake Forest would be an especially cruel fate.
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3. Avoid third-and-long. Alright, one concrete bit of analysis here. Wake Forest doesn't do much well, but they're solid defensively in passing downs (so second/third/fourth-and-long). The Deacs' defense ranks 29th in passing down S&P+, and has limited opponents to just a 30 percent third down conversion rate this season. DeShone Kizer & Co. could run into some trouble if they're consistently stopped on first down, but then again, Wake Forest's defense has only forced seven turnovers, the lowest total among FBS teams. Eventually, Notre Dame's powerful offense -- with or without Prosise -- should be able to put plenty of points on the board.
Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Wake Forest 17