Wake Forest now knows exactly when its trip to Berkeley will happen.
The ACC announced Week 7 kickoff times earlier this week, and the Demon Deacons will take on California on Saturday, October 17. The game is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at California Memorial Stadium, with ESPN or ESPN2 carrying the broadcast.
It will be only the second meeting between the programs. Their lone previous matchup came in 2024, when Cal entered the ACC and beat Wake Forest 46-36 behind future Heisman Trophy winner and No.
1 NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Wake Forest will get a chance to even the series when it heads west.
Cal came into the season with plenty of buzz, and not without reason. A lot of people viewed the Golden Bears as a possible dark-horse ACC contender, especially with star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele back for his sophomore year in Berkeley. Expectations around the program have been higher than they’ve been in a long time.
The results, though, have been uneven. Cal opened with a 45-24 loss at home to UCLA, then bounced back with wins over Syracuse and Wagner.
Since then, the Golden Bears have dropped two straight. Clemson gave the Cal offense trouble in one loss, and the next week UNLV had its way with the Golden Bears’ defense.
Now Cal heads into its home game against Wake Forest looking to stop the slide.
In the latest ACC Power Rankings from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff, Cal sits at No. 12. Wake Forest is No. 2, though that could shift before this weekend’s game against NC State.
Before the Cal trip, Wake Forest has to deal with another road test. The Demon Deacons travel to Raleigh to face NC State on Saturday, October 10, with kickoff at 12 p.m. ET on The CW.
Wake Forest’s schedule includes: Sept. 3 vs.
Akron (W, 38-16)Sept. 12 at Purdue (W, 38-36, 2OT)Sept. 18 vs. No.
5 Miami (L, 33-20)Sept. 26 at No. 16 Louisville (W, 30-27)Oct. 3 vs.
Stanford (W, 57-3)Oct. 10 at NC State, 12 p.m. ET on The CWOct. 17 at Cal, 10:30 p.m.
ET on ESPN or ESPN2Oct. 31 vs. Virginia, TBANov. 7 vs.
Merrimack, 12 p.m. ET, network TBANov. 14 at No.
22 SMU, TBANov. 21 at Georgia Tech, TBANov. 28 vs. Duke, TBA
In Other News...
NC State Faces A Real Test Against Wake Forest's Hottest Threat
Wake Forest heads into a rivalry meeting with North Carolina State with Gio Lopez giving the offense a steady edge. The quarterback has been one of the ACCs most efficient playmakers so far, piling up 1,377 passing yards and 15 total touchdowns against only one interception in five games, and that kind of form has made the Deacons a tougher read for opponents who have had to chase them early and often.
Now the challenge gets sharper with NC State bringing its own recent momentum into a game that still carries the usual edge of a border rivalry. Both staffs have spent the week talking through expectations and matchups, and the Wolfpacks defensive issues only add to the intrigue of how Wake Forest will try to attack. For a team looking to keep building on what Lopez has started, this is the kind of test that can tell you a lot about where the offense really stands. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Faces A Rivalry Test That Will Show If This Offense Is Real
Wake Forest has spent its first month reminding the ACC that it can be a tough out, backing that up with wins over Louisville and Stanford. Now comes a different kind of measuring stick with NC State on the schedule, a rivalry game that tends to sharpen whatever is already brewing and can expose the soft spots a team would rather keep hidden.
The Wolfpack arrive at 3-2 with an offense that has started to look dangerous, especially with quarterback CJ Bailey fresh off a career-high 373 passing yards. For Wake Forest, the meeting matters beyond the usual bragging rights, because this series has been going since 1910 and ranks as the second-longest continuously played rivalry in the FBS. It is the sort of stage where early-season momentum either turns into something real or gets re-examined in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Fans Just Got An Early Read On LJVMs Next Test
Wake Forest fans got an early look at what the 2026-27 mens basketball season will feel like this week, as the university released tipoff times and television designations for most of the schedule. The home slate at LJVM Coliseum is set for 17 games, and single-game tickets will go on sale starting Oct. 8, giving supporters a first chance to circle the dates that matter most.
The schedule release also sharpens the focus on the roster that will take the floor for those home dates, mixing returning pieces with newcomers Kevair Kennedy and Jamari McDowell, plus top-100 freshmen twins Gallagher and Gavin Placide. Special ticket packages are already being offered for marquee visits from Duke and North Carolina, and those are the kinds of nights that tend to define whether an early-season buzz turns into something louder by winter. [Read more 🡒]