Wake Forest has put itself back in the ACC conversation, and the twist is that it’s doing it a different way than it did a year ago.
Last season, the Deacs won nine games on the back of a defense that kept them afloat. This year, they may get to nine again because the offense has taken over. Jake Dickert has already turned Wake into a program that looks sturdy despite obvious limitations, and after year two, the case is getting harder to ignore: the Deacs appear well positioned to live near the top of the ACC’s second tier on a regular basis.
The engine of that shift is Gio Lopez, who has looked reborn at Wake Forest. After a year at UNC that badly damaged his value, Lopez has found exactly the kind of environment that suits him.
He’s on pace for a career season and already has as many touchdown passes as he threw in all of last season. That kind of jump doesn’t happen by accident.
Wake’s passing game, in particular, has gone from clunky to dangerous. The only team to hold the Deacs under 6.0 yards per play is Miami, which also happens to be the only team to beat them so far. Wake is doing plenty of things well, but the biggest difference from last year is obvious: the passing game is more efficient and far more explosive.
Carlos Hernandez has been central to that leap. One of the players who came over with Dickert from Washington State, Hernandez was solid in 2025.
This season, he has taken another step entirely. He has over 600 receiving yards in five games, leaving him just eight yards short of his 2025 total.
He’s become one of the league’s best big-play threats, and he seems to be shot out of a cannon every time the ball is snapped.
What makes Wake’s offense even more interesting is how concentrated it is. Hernandez has 37 catches, and no other receiver has more than 12. Everybody knows where the ball is going, and it hasn’t mattered much.
That matters for NC State, because if the Wolfpack want to win this game, they’re probably going to need points. Wake’s defense is not the same unit it was last season. If you set aside the Stanford game - Stanford flew all the way to the east coast, farted into a can, and went home - the underlying numbers haven’t been especially strong.
The Deacs have done a good job limiting explosive passing plays, which has helped them live in that bend-but-don’t-break space. Against the run, they aren’t winning a ton at the line of scrimmage; their stuff rate is below average. But they also haven’t really had a bad day there, even against Miami, which suggests the tackling is sound.
So the balance in Wake’s games has tilted toward its side, and that has made a real difference. If NC State can slow the game down, maybe that helps. But there’s a good chance the quarterbacks decide this one.
In Other News...
NC State Faces A Pressure Test After Its Early Season Collapse
NC States trip into October comes with a little extra pressure after an early-season stumble, and the matchup with Wake Forest now looks like the kind of game that can either steady the Wolfpack or keep the questions coming. Around the college football world, this weeks slate is packed with intrigue, but for NC State the focus is much narrower: a conference game against a familiar foe, a chance to regain rhythm, and a test of whether the offense can clean up its recent mistakes.
There is some optimism baked into the matchup, especially with CJ Baileys playmaking ability giving the Wolfpack a higher ceiling when the ball is moving well. The bigger issue is whether NC State can pair that with enough control and balance to avoid another messy night, and the quarterback situation adds another layer of interest as the staff looks for the right mix to complement Bailey. Wake Forest may be the opponent on the schedule, but the more revealing battle is whether NC State can answer its own early-season collapse before it starts to linger. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Early Formula Is Suddenly Looking A Lot More Real
NC States 31-28 win over Louisville did more than get the Wolfpack to 3-2 and off the ACC schneid in 2026. It also gave a sharper look at the early formula that has started to take shape around this team, with the updated conference rankings showing where a few of the Packs key pieces are stacking up through the first stretch of league play. CJ Bailey, Duke Scott, Keenan Jackson, Will Wilson, Preston Douglas and kicker Kanoah Vinesett all have a place in that early ACC picture, which is part of what makes the win feel a little more meaningful than a one-off upset.
The bigger question now is how sustainable that formula will be as the schedule keeps moving, especially with the next test already looming. Vinesetts reliability has become a real part of the conversation after his perfect day against Louisville, and the offense has enough different contributors to suggest this group can keep hanging around if the pieces stay in place. The only catch is that the Wolfpack are heading into a week where availability and depth matter just as much as the rankings, which leaves the next step in this reset feeling a lot more important than the standings might otherwise suggest. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Faces A Defining ACC Test With Momentum On The Line
NC State heads into a pivotal ACC matchup with Wake Forest carrying real momentum and a home-field edge it has protected all season. Both teams have been playing well, which is what gives this one extra weight beyond the usual conference date. The Wolfpack have had to manage injuries along the way, but they have still handled business in Raleigh and now face a test that should say plenty about where they stand in the league picture.
Wake Forest brings enough recent success to make this more than just a spot-the-better-team kind of game, and the setup suggests a tight one from the start. For NC State, the stakes are simple: keep the home run going, stay steady through the injury issues and keep its place in a crowded ACC race from slipping. A win would say plenty about the Wolfpacks staying power, while a stumble would make the path ahead much less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]