Wake Forest heads west this weekend with the kind of momentum every team wants in November: the kind that keeps piling up. The Demon Deacons have turned their season into a real run, and after a 38-14 win over NC State, they travel to Berkeley to face a California team that entered the year with big expectations but has not come close to living up to them.
That gap in form has Wake Forest in a familiar-looking spot lately - favored, and favored by a lot. If the Deacons keep handling business the way they have, that’s a role their fans may get used to seeing.
Cal’s season still runs through one name: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Whether Wake Forest actually sees him on Saturday is the big question.
The sophomore quarterback suffered a concussion against UNLV and sat out Cal’s 25-20 win over Virginia Tech last week. In five appearances before the injury, Sagapolutele completed 65.2% of his passes for 1,180 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
Even if Sagapolutele is unavailable, Cal is not just going to roll over. Jackson Brousseau stepped in against Virginia Tech and delivered 321 passing yards and a touchdown as the Golden Bears pulled off the upset as roughly a double-digit underdog. Cal also has a difference-maker on defense in safety Kingston Lopa, who has five interceptions this season, though he has been dealing with an injury.
This is only the second meeting between the programs. The first came in 2024, Cal’s first year in the ACC, when the Golden Bears won 46-36 and held off a late Wake Forest push.
The atmosphere won’t match what Wake Forest just experienced against NC State, but that doesn’t mean the Deacons can afford to drift. Cal has been disappointing relative to its preseason outlook, yet the Bears still showed last week that they can make life miserable for an opponent that lets up.
Virginia Tech learned that lesson the hard way in Berkeley. Wake Forest has earned the right to be considered the better team going into Saturday. The next step is proving it on the field.
In Other News...
Gio Lopez Is Giving Wake Forest New Life In The ACC Race
Wake Forests win over NC State offered another reminder that Gio Lopez has become the kind of quarterback who can change the mood of the season in a hurry. After a sluggish opening stretch, he settled in and helped the Demon Deacons find their rhythm, steering a balanced offense that looked far more dangerous once the passing game started to click.
Lopezs best work came after halftime, when he began escaping the pocket and pushing the ball downfield, including a deep connection with Carlos Hernandez that helped flip the tone of the game. With California up next, Wake Forest will need that same composed version of Lopez if it wants to keep pressing its ACC Championship hopes. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Gets An Early Test For Steve Forbes New-Look Roster
Wake Forest gets another look at its revamped roster in preseason play Saturday, when the Demon Deacons face South Carolina at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center. It is only an exhibition, but it comes at a useful point for Steve Forbes, who is still sorting through a group that includes returning pieces and several new additions as the season opener draws closer.
South Carolina brings its own changes into the matchup after a recent season that showed promise but also plenty of turnover. For Wake Forest, the game carries a little extra curiosity because the two programs have not met in decades, making this a rare chance to gauge where the new-look Deacons stand against a familiar name from another part of the sport's map. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Is Turning Into The ACC Story Bigger Spenders Feared
Wake Forests fast start has become one of the more interesting plot lines in the ACC, especially as recent reporting has put the program in a small group of teams punching above their financial weight. Along with Kentucky and Oklahoma State, the Demon Deacons are drawing attention for outperforming expectations relative to NIL spending, a reminder that money may shape the sport but does not always determine who is getting the most from a roster.
For Wake Forest, the significance goes beyond a hot opening stretch. The Deacons have managed to stay in the conference conversation while spending far less than some of the programs chasing the same goals, and that kind of efficiency has bigger-spending rivals taking notice. It also leaves plenty of intrigue around how far this run can hold up as the schedule tightens and the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]