Wake Forest now knows exactly when its trip to Berkeley will happen.
The ACC announced Week 7 kickoff times earlier this week, and the Demon Deacons will take on California on Saturday, October 17. The game is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at California Memorial Stadium, with ESPN or ESPN2 carrying the broadcast.
It will be only the second meeting between the programs. Their lone previous matchup came in 2024, when Cal entered the ACC and beat Wake Forest 46-36 behind future Heisman Trophy winner and No.
1 NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Wake Forest will get a chance to even the series when it heads west.
Cal came into the season with plenty of buzz, and not without reason. A lot of people viewed the Golden Bears as a possible dark-horse ACC contender, especially with star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele back for his sophomore year in Berkeley. Expectations around the program have been higher than they’ve been in a long time.
The results, though, have been uneven. Cal opened with a 45-24 loss at home to UCLA, then bounced back with wins over Syracuse and Wagner.
Since then, the Golden Bears have dropped two straight. Clemson gave the Cal offense trouble in one loss, and the next week UNLV had its way with the Golden Bears’ defense.
Now Cal heads into its home game against Wake Forest looking to stop the slide.
In the latest ACC Power Rankings from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff, Cal sits at No. 12. Wake Forest is No. 2, though that could shift before this weekend’s game against NC State.
Before the Cal trip, Wake Forest has to deal with another road test. The Demon Deacons travel to Raleigh to face NC State on Saturday, October 10, with kickoff at 12 p.m. ET on The CW.
Wake Forest’s schedule includes: Sept. 3 vs.
Akron (W, 38-16)Sept. 12 at Purdue (W, 38-36, 2OT)Sept. 18 vs. No.
5 Miami (L, 33-20)Sept. 26 at No. 16 Louisville (W, 30-27)Oct. 3 vs.
Stanford (W, 57-3)Oct. 10 at NC State, 12 p.m. ET on The CWOct. 17 at Cal, 10:30 p.m.
ET on ESPN or ESPN2Oct. 31 vs. Virginia, TBANov. 7 vs.
Merrimack, 12 p.m. ET, network TBANov. 14 at No.
22 SMU, TBANov. 21 at Georgia Tech, TBANov. 28 vs. Duke, TBA
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What makes Hampton especially noteworthy is how firmly he has stayed attached to Cal through all the change around him. Even as the roster has been reshaped and the program has dealt with a coaching change, he has remained in place, giving the Bears a player whose loyalty and habits have drawn attention inside the building. For a team looking to establish a tougher mentality, that kind of commitment can matter just as much as anything a player does on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]