Wake Forest’s trip to North Dallas carries the kind of weight that changes a season, and SMU is the team standing in the way. With the Demon Deacons heading to face the Mustangs, this matchup is shaping up to decide who reaches the final ACC Championship.
The Deacons enter with some momentum in the program’s direction after the extension of Jake Dickert, but Saturday still feels like the real test. A win would mean plenty for a Wake Forest team trying to keep its rise moving forward. The challenge, though, is obvious: SMU has a handful of players who can tilt the game fast.
At the center of it all is Kevin Jennings, one of the most athletic quarterbacks in college football. He gives SMU danger in more than one way, both as a runner and as a deep-ball passer.
This season, Jennings has thrown 25 touchdowns against only 6 interceptions and is carrying an 181.2 rating. He thrives in big spots, which means Wake Forest will need to take advantage of the risk that comes with his style.
The Deacons also have to deal with Kendrick Raphael, who has been piling up production on the ground at 5.0 yards per carry. The senior transfer from Cal has put together an impressive season, and slowing him down will be part of Wake Forest’s path to control.
Jennings has a favorite target in Yamir Knight, another matchup Wake Forest will have to account for if it wants to keep its recent defensive form intact. The Demon Deacons have turned in strong defensive performances over the last few weeks, and Knight is the kind of receiver who can spoil that.
SMU’s defense brings its own problems, starting with senior leader Kilgore. He leads the team in total tackles and is around the football constantly. If Wake Forest wants to move the ball, keeping Kilgore from taking over the middle of the field will matter.
Then there’s Marques White, who has been a disruptive force off the edge. White has 7.5 sacks and has also forced two fumbles, making him a constant threat for opposing linemen and quarterbacks. The UMass transfer will be a major factor for the Mustangs at home.
Special teams have been steady too, with Brendan Baird giving SMU a reliable option. He has missed only one extra point and one kick this season, while putting up 48 points and hitting a season-long of 50 yards.
For Wake Forest, the formula is straightforward: stay composed, play confidently, and handle the pressure of the biggest regular-season game on the schedule. If the Demon Deacons want a shot at the ACC Championship game or CFP bid, this is the one they need.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Has A Chance To Prove Its ACC Standing This Weekend
Wake Forest kept rolling with a lopsided win over Merrimack, a 77-0 result that did little to change the bigger picture around the program but did reinforce how comfortably the Demon Deacons have handled the stretch they are in. The latest ACC Football Power Rankings still place the Deacs at No. 2, where they have sat for seven straight weeks as Miami continues to hold the top spot.
The real test is still ahead, and it comes with far more weight than anything Wake Forest has faced recently. A trip to Dallas to meet No. 4 SMU now looms as the kind of game that can sharpen the league race and clarify where the Deacons truly stand in the ACC pecking order, with the rankings and the upcoming schedule both pointing toward a matchup that should say plenty about their championship path. [Read more 🡒]
Former Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman Is Headed For A Very Different Spotlight
Sam Hartmans football path has already taken a few unexpected turns, from five seasons at Wake Forest to a stop at Notre Dame and then on to the Washington Commanders practice squad. Now the quarterback is stepping into a completely different kind of spotlight, one that has little to do with playbooks or pocket presence.
ABC has tapped Hartman to lead the next season of The Bachelor, with the 30th edition set to premiere in March. For a player still attached to an NFL roster, it is a notable detour and one that shifts the attention from training camp fields to prime-time television, with plenty of curiosity still hanging over how this latest chapter will play out. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Keeps Winning But The Respect Still Isn't Coming
Wake Forest has spent the 2026 season doing the one thing that usually changes the conversation around a program: winning, and winning often. Under Jake Dickert, the Demon Deacons have taken a roster that had to replace key pieces from a year ago and still turned it into one of the more surprising stories in the sport, with Gio Lopez driving the offense and Carlos Hernandez giving him a dependable target on the outside. What makes the run stand out is how far it has gone beyond preseason expectations, even as the national spotlight has mostly looked elsewhere.
The frustration for Wake Forest is that the rsum has not translated into the kind of respect that typically follows this sort of start. National media attention has been light, and the College Football Playoff committee has not treated the Deacons like a team forcing its way into the picture. For a program that has clearly outperformed the projections attached to it in August, the next stretch feels less about proving it can keep winning and more about whether anyone outside Winston-Salem will finally start paying attention. [Read more 🡒]