Wake Forest
Demon Deacons · ACC
- GIE rank
- #9
- of 138 FBS
- Rating
- 1750
- 2026 Week 10
- Record
- 7-1
- 2026 season
- Proj record
- 10-2
- 12-game season
Head coach Jake Dickert Year 2 with Wake Forest
Year-2 HCs (2015-2024) averaged +0.09 W vs. preseason expectation
Season projection
- Expected wins
- 10.1
- 3.1 more wins in 4 left
- Win range (90%)
- 9 to 11
- Final rank (90%)
- #10 (4–20)
- Make playoff
- 75%
- Win conference
- 11%
Path to glory
Their playoff probability after a win or a loss in each pivotal game. (Interactive toggles coming once the scenario sim finishes for this team.)
| Game | Win | Loss | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| at SMU | 79% | 0% | +79pp |
| at Georgia Tech | 69% | 0% | +69pp |
Schedule
Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.
| Week | Opponent | Result or win prob.Result or win probability |
|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 Sep 3 | vs Akron Mid-American | Win, 38-16 Final |
| Wk 2 Sep 12 | at Purdue Big Ten | Win, 38-36 Final |
| Wk 3 Sep 18 | vs Miami ACC | Loss, 20-33 Final |
| Wk 4 Sep 26 | at Louisville ACC | Win, 30-27 Final |
| Wk 5 Oct 3 | vs Stanford ACC | Win, 57-3 Final |
| Wk 6 Oct 10 | at NC State ACC | Win, 38-14 Final |
| Wk 7 Oct 18 | at California ACC | Win, 41-7 Final |
| Wk 8 | Bye | |
| Wk 9 Oct 31 | vs Virginia ACC | Win, 51-7 Final |
| Wk 10 Nov 7 | vs Merrimack Non-FBS | No win prob. |
| Wk 11 Nov 14 | at SMU ACC | |
| Wk 12 Nov 21 | at Georgia Tech ACC | |
| Wk 13 Nov 28 | vs Duke ACC | |
In the news
- Wake Forest Commit Tracker: How the Deacons’ Class of 2027 commits played in Week 8 (opens in a new tab)
- 5 Thoughts: NC State might not know Wake Forest’s financials, but Deacs did more with less to win (opens in a new tab)
- What Wake Forest Said After the NC State Win (opens in a new tab)
- NC State football snap counts, PFF grades and notes: Defense in loss to Wake Forest (opens in a new tab)
- What they’re saying after NC State’s loss to Wake Forest (opens in a new tab)
- Deacons WR duo bolsters second-half explosion (opens in a new tab)
More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.
If QB1 is out
GIE projects a 4.3 rating drop and a 17.1pp shift in playoff probability if Wake Forest loses its QB1 for an extended stretch. (n=1 historical samples; pooled across recent seasons.)
Returning production · 2026
33 score
Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.
Portal additions · 2026
+0.1 rating
27 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.
| Player | From | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Wondame Davis Jr.WR From UTEP | UTEP | 110 |
| Gio LopezQB From North Carolina | North Carolina | 78 |
| Sawyer SeidlRB From North Dakota | North Dakota | 75 |
| Deuce Blades IIDB From Florida International | Florida International | 70 |
| Bernard CauseyDB From Georgia State | Georgia State | 70 |
| Drayden DickmannWR From Rice | Rice | 59 |
Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.
Situational efficiency · 2025
Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.