Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | SMU | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Virginia Tech | Cal | NC State | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Stanford
Wake Forest
For seven years from 2016 – 2022, Wake Forest was a rock-solid winner in the ACC. Dave Clawson and Wake Forest averaged 7.5 wins per year, with 5 bowl wins, and peaking with an 11-win top 15 2021 season. Then poof it was gone. Last season Wake Forest went 4-8 with just 1 ACC win. Remember when Jim Grobe rebuilt Wake Forest in the late 2000s? The Deacs eventually slipped back again and Grobe never found the magic again. It’s only been one bad season, but was last season a blip or is it about to be a sustained decline at Wake Forest?
Will Go 7-5 (4-4) if:
Wake Forest’s passing attack is considerably better than last year. Last season the Deac didn’t even average 200 yards a game through the air, resulting in an offense that only scored 20 points a game. The starting QB hasn’t been named, but it will be either Michael Kern or incoming transfer Hank Bachmeier. Then Wake Forest needs a fast 3-1 start with North Carolina A&T, Virginia, Ole Miss, and Louisana. Ole Miss is a bad matchup so the Deacs need to win the other three. Other winnable games could be at UCONN, at Stanford, Cal, and Duke. If Wake Forest can win those games, or score an upset along the way a 7-5 season could be in reach. The defense that ranked across the board in the 70s could make a big difference to the season with just marginal improvement.
Will Go 4-8 (1-7) if:
Wake Forest can’t handle a difficult schedule. Out of Ole Miss, at NC State, Clemson, and at Miami do you see a win? Just going .500 the rest of the way, would result in a 4-8 season. Heading into 2024, where is Wake Forest going to lean on a terrible offense or a mediocre defense? Both need to make significant strides, and it has to be done with a roster that talent-wise looks closer to the bottom of the ACC than the top. Dave Clawson could do a good job coaching the Deacs and they still could miss a bowl game.
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