Wake Forest has spent the fall building a case, and now it gets one of its biggest chances to present it.
At 8-1 and riding a six-game winning streak, the Demon Deacons have climbed to No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings under Jake Dickert. They’ve handled business, they’ve piled up points, and they’ve put themselves in the thick of the ACC title race. Still, the lingering question hangs over them: are they really in the national championship conversation?
Saturday’s game at SMU offers a direct test.
The Mustangs are 7-2, unbeaten at home this season, and have been one of the ACC’s more dangerous programs over the last couple of years, including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. A road win in Dallas would do more than add another number to Wake Forest’s record. It would tell the rest of the country the Demon Deacons can beat a team with real weight behind it.
The challenge starts with Kevin Jennings. SMU’s quarterback has thrown for 2,764 yards this season and just turned in a huge outing against Virginia Tech, going 24 of 32 for 350 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-28 win.
Jennings has also made Gerald J. Ford Stadium a tough place for visitors. He owns a 16-1 career record as a starter there, which says plenty about how difficult it’s been to walk into Dallas and leave with a win when he’s under center.
SMU has other threats, too. Yamir Knight caught three touchdown passes against Virginia Tech and finished with 103 receiving yards, while Kendrick Raphael has run for 755 yards this season. That gives the Mustangs multiple ways to stress a Wake Forest defense that will need to be sharp from the opening series.
The Mustangs have also been getting it done on defense. Marques White has 7.5 sacks, including two last week against Virginia Tech, and SMU has held opponents to a 29.9% conversion rate on third down, which ranks ninth nationally. That puts pressure on Wake Forest to stay ahead of the chains and win early downs if it wants to keep control of the game.
The Demon Deacons have certainly earned their place in the discussion. Since the loss to Miami in September, they’ve outscored their six next opponents 294-58. Quarterback Gio Lopez is expected back after missing the Merrimack game with an injury, which only adds to the optimism around the program.
And yet the margin for error is getting smaller.
Wake Forest is still in the ACC title hunt, and a possible rematch with Miami could decide whether the program reaches its first College Football Playoff. That makes Saturday’s trip to Dallas more than just another road test. A loss would make the path much harder at exactly the wrong time.
There’s no doubt Wake Forest can win this game. The Demon Deacons already beat Louisville on the road, and they’ve got one of the nation’s most productive offenses. They’ve done enough to believe they belong.
Now they have to show it against a team that can answer back.
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 🡒]
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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 Faces A Season-Shaping Test Against SMUs Dangerous Offense
Wake Forest heads into a pivotal regular-season matchup with SMU knowing the stakes reach well beyond one Saturday afternoon. With ACC Championship hopes still in play, this is the kind of game that can tilt a season one way or the other, and the Demon Deacons are staring at a Mustangs offense that has earned its reputation by making opponents defend every inch of the field.
The challenge starts with quarterback Kevin Jennings and running back Kendrick Raphael, but SMU also brings defensive pieces such as Marques White and Kilgore who can make life difficult in their own right. For Wake Forest, the margin for error is thin, and the result could end up shaping not just the conference race but the programs postseason outlook as well. [Read more 🡒]