Wake Forest now knows exactly when it will walk into Raleigh.
The ACC set kickoff times for Week 6 on Monday, and the Demon Deacons’ trip to face NC State is locked in for Saturday, October 3. The game will start at 12 p.m. ET at Carter-Finley Stadium and will air on The CW.
It’s a familiar rivalry spot for both programs, and this one comes with plenty of history attached. Wake Forest and NC State will meet for the 119th time, with the Wolfpack holding the edge in the series at 70-43-6.
Still, the Deacons have already shown they can win in Raleigh. The last time they played there, Wake came away with a 34-30 victory two years ago, and former cornerback Branson Combs delivered the closing moment with a late interception that helped seal it.
NC State enters the matchup at 3-2, a record that reflects how uneven its season has been so far. The Wolfpack opened with a 34-8 loss to Virginia, then answered with a blowout win over Richmond before taking a heartbreaking 35-31 loss to Vanderbilt on a fumble in the end zone with 0 seconds left. Since then, they’ve steadied things with back-to-back home wins over Appalachian State and Louisville.
That surge has NC State sitting No. 13 in the ACC power rankings put together by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff. Wake Forest is No. 2 in those rankings, though that gap won’t matter much once the teams kick off.
The Deacons also come in with momentum after another strong performance against Stanford. Their schedule has already included a 38-16 win over Akron on Sept. 3, a 38-36 double-overtime win at Purdue on Sept. 12, a 33-20 loss to No.
5 Miami on Sept. 18, a 30-27 win at No. 16 Louisville on Sept. 26, and the 57-3 win over Stanford on Oct.
Wake Forest’s next stretch includes the trip to NC State on Oct. 10, followed by games at Cal on Oct. 17, at home against Virginia on Oct. 31, home against Merrimack on Nov. 7, at No. 22 SMU on Nov. 14, at Georgia Tech on Nov. 21, and home against Duke on Nov. 28.
Even after that latest win, Wake Forest still found itself left out of the AP Poll for a second straight week. With a résumé that should have been good enough, the Deacons will head to Raleigh with plenty to prove.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Is Giving Fans A Real Reason To Demand Respect
Wake Forest has spent the first month of the season building a rsum that looks better than the attention it has gotten. The Demon Deacons are 4-1, they pushed a top-ranked opponent in a close loss, and they already have a road win over a ranked team. Add in the kind of offensive numbers and conference blowout that usually get a program noticed, and it is easy to see why there is a growing sense around Winston-Salem that the respect has not caught up with the results.
The gap is even harder to ignore because the Deacons have not exactly been perfect in other areas, with discipline issues still part of the conversation. Still, teams that play a quality schedule, beat ranked competition away from home, and keep stacking wins generally earn a spot in the Top 25 conversation. Wake Forest has done enough to make people look twice, and now the question is how long it can keep performing this way before the national polls finally have to acknowledge it. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests Womens Golf Pipeline Just Delivered Another Huge Milestone
Rachel Kuehns path from Wake Forest standout to the professional ranks has moved another step forward, giving the Demon Deacons a fresh reason to take pride in what their womens golf program keeps producing. Kuehn won eight times at Wake Forest and was part of the schools 2023 national championship team, a run that already made her one of the most accomplished players in program history. Now, after earning her way onto the LPGA Tour through her work on the Epson Tour, she is set to become a rookie on the big stage in 2027.
For Wake Forest, it is another reminder that the pipeline from Winston-Salem to elite golf is not just a talking point. Kuehns rise through the developmental circuit shows the kind of steady progression that can turn college stardom into a lasting pro career, and it adds another notable name to a program that has built real credibility at the highest levels of the womens game. The next step will be seeing how she translates that success once her LPGA journey officially begins. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Women Sent A Rivalry Message Against NC State
Wake Forests womens soccer team gave Spry Stadium a result worth circling, beating NC State 3-1 in a matchup that carried the feel of more than just another conference night. The win stood out not only because it came against a familiar rival, but because it gave the Demon Deacons a clear, authoritative answer on their home field.
For a program looking to keep building momentum, results like this can matter beyond the standings. NC State always brings extra edge to the meeting, and Wake Forest made sure this one belonged to the home side, leaving the Demon Deacons with a win that should resonate the next time these teams see each other. [Read more 🡒]