Tag: wake forest

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Wake Forest vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

When: Saturday, October 4, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech looked good against NC State. They looked well-coached and motivated. They played a full 60-minutes that we haven’t seen against FBS competition so far this year. Everyone looked bought-in and playing hard. That’s a good sign for the rest of the season under Phillip Montgomery. It seems like he has the players locked-in again after the early season coaching change.

Will QB Robby Ashford play for Wake? He was injured late in the Georgia Tech game. His health is unknown for the game this week. Ashford’s running ability would give the Hokies trouble. Virginia Tech has had trouble stopping mobile QBs this season.

Wake likes to run the ball. Either with Ashford or RB Demond Claiborne. Both players have gobbled up a lot of yards on the ground. Virginia Tech’s ability to stop Hollywood Smothers last week may be a good indicator they are starting to improve in that area. This would be a good week to keep stuffing the run.

Donovan Greene will be playing his former team. Players facing their former teams always makes for an interesting storyline. It is worth watching to see how he gets involved in the offense this week.

Like last week, Virginia Tech needs to lean on the run game to win. Terion Stewart provided a major boost against NC State. He will need to be featured once again this week to try and take pressure off Kyron Drones and the passing game. Having a steady and reliable run game helps to open up other parts of the offense.

Wake Forest hasn’t won in Blacksburg since 1983. Virginia Tech seems to have Wake’s number at home. Virginia Tech also seems to have momentum after a two-game winning streak and winning their first road game of the season. Wake Forest is coming off a difficult overtime loss against Georgia Tech where they probably should’ve won, if not for bad ACC officiating. Virginia Tech has good mojo under Coach Monty and this short two-game winning streak has certainly helped. I feel like they are coming home for a winnable game at the right time. This team is starting to build some confidence.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Wake Forest 17

📈 Betting Line & Market

  • Point spread / odds: Virginia Tech is opening as a 6.0-point favorite over Wake Forest.
  • Total / over-under: The over/under is currently pegged around 50.5
  • According to FPI, Virginia Tech has a 76.8% projected win probability.
  • Some models (e.g. SP+ / Connelly) are more conservative: SP+ gives Virginia Tech a narrow edge (26–25), with the pick leaning “over.”
  • So the market generally sees VT as a solid favorite, with a moderately high-scoring game possible.

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2025 Preseason ACC Predictions

A preseason prediction for all 17 ACC teams heading into the 2025 college football season.

Projected ACC StandingsComments

12-0		Clemson looks like a complete team that could be 13-0 headed into the CFP

11-1		Expect Kevin Jennings to take a bit of a step back this year but the schedule almost assures a really strong season.

10-2		Color me a bit skeptical of Mario Cristobal and Miami but the schedule is there to be a CFP contender.

9-3		The Haynes and Haynes combo is not to be trifled with. Brent Key seems to have finally found a roster that can compete for an ACCCG berth.

9-3		Manny Diaz proved me wrong last year. With a good transfer QB and soft schedule, they will make noise this year.

8-4		Offense should be really good. Defense — who knows?

8-4		Dave Doeren is usually able to pull together a solid squad every year but will that defense hold up after all the transfers?

6-6		Too much talent to be as bad as last year. Will the new influx transfers this year work out for them? Hard to pick anything but middle of the road.

6-6		Solid additions through the portal but Brent Pry is still the head coach.

6-6		Pitt and Pat Narduzzi are trending toward becoming a perennial 6-6 team.

5-7		Bill Belichick is a football genius but he doesn’t block, tackle or run the ball.

5-7		They have a great RB and that’s pretty much it. However, that may be enough to win 5 games with that schedule.

4-8		Tough schedule and not enough talent. Not a great combination.

4-8		Fran Brown might get a reality check in year 2.

4-8		Soft schedule might help them out a lot but ultimately they have to show they have become a better team when they hit the field.

3-9		Cal football looks lost at the moment. At least they have the #Calgorithm.

3-9		Tough schedule. Transfer losses. Interim head coach and a new AD trying to make his mark. Looks like a bottom-out season for Stanford.
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Wake Forest vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

As soon as the Hokies fix one problem, another one pops up. This time it’s inability to stop the run. Luckily, the Hokies’ offense seems to have found its rhythm. They were able to keep up with Florida State for three quarters. The run defense, however, is a different story. Tech continues to get gashed on the ground. This is an area the coaches will have to get fixed in the second half of the season.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 76th
Offense: 96th
Defense: 51st
Special Teams: 44th

Wake Forest

Overall: 51st
Offense: 55th
Defense: 53rd
Special Teams: 73rd


This is a standard Wake Forest offense under Dave Clawson. Good but not great. They are balanced and move the ball consistently. Their offense has stalled out a bit in the last two games against Georgia Tech and Clemson. Tech’s big concern needs to be stopping RB Demond Claiborne. Like all the running backs the Hokies have seen this year, he has the potential to break a big run. QB Mitch Griffis has been okay. He connects on a high percentage of his passes but he is a checkdown king. He likes to keep his throws within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. This might be a good week for the Hokies DBs to be a little more aggressive against short throws and checkdowns.

The Wake Forest defense has been pretty good. They are top 40 in the nation in total defense. The good news for the Hokies is they tend to give up more yards on the ground than through the air. This would be a good game for Kyron Drones, Bhayshul Tuten and Malachi Thomas to get going on the ground. The same playbook that has worked against Pitt and three quarters against FSU needs to be the go-to in this game.

This is a pretty good matchup for the Hokies. My biggest concern is that Wake is an extremely well-coached team and they don’t beat themselves. Tech has the horses on offense to win but they need to rely on the defense to not give up big running plays. On a neutral site, Wake would win by 3. But I’m going to give the nod to the Hokies at home here and pick Tech by 3.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 23, Wake Forest 20

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Wake Forest Q&A with The Deac Machine

This week we are joined by The Deac Machine. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheDeacMachine.

Tell us about yourself and your account.

I’m a Deacon grad that lives within 30 minutes of Winston-Salem. I have season tickets to football and basketball and grew up as a fan and I graduated in the late 00’s. I created THE DEAC MACHINE in order to speak freely publicly about all things Wake Forest Athletics.

What are your thoughts on Wake Forest so far this year?

We knew this was going to be a transition year with the breaking in of a new QB in Mitch Griffis, who was simply handed the job by our coaching staff, but no one expected him / the offense to be this bad. We struggled against Elon, were lucky Vanderbilt threw up on itself and couldn’t stop the run, should have lost to ODU, handed GT 5 turnovers (+ a W), and wasted a great defensive performance vs Clemson yesterday in Death Valley. With an even average P5 Qb we’d be 5-0 right now.

Offense: While we have a good running game (Demond Claibrone is a special running back), our inability to throw the football (due to OL protection issues and no QB) puts us at a serious disadvantage. For whatever reason, our staff refuses to try out our 2nd string QB. There were instances yesterday where our staff was running on 3rd and medium at midfield because they don’t trust our QB. That’s a problem. We have great wide receivers (Jahmal Banks, Taylor Morin, Ke’shawn Williams, Wesley Grimes) but can’t get them the ball. That’s another problem. 

Our defense is in its 2nd year led by Brad Lambert who is in his 2nd stint at Wake Forest (he was the DC with Jim Grobe the first time before being named the head coach at Charlotte). They are an aggressive bunch led by DE Jasheen Davis, LB Jacob Roberts, and S Malik Mustpaha. The defense has been a problem the last few years but is the strength of the team this year. This unit deserved a W yesterday in Clemson. 

What do you think about Virginia Tech being assigned as a permanent ACC rival in the new schedule format? 

Honestly, it’s kind of a joke. That’s meant as no disrespect to Virginia Tech. Wake has 3 main rivals – UNC, NC State, and Duke. The ACC gave us Duke, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. The conference ended one of the oldest rivalries in college football when they put Wake and UNC in separate divisions during the first round of expansion. They’re about to do the same with our NC State rivalry – one that’s been played for over 100 years. Virginia Tech is 2 hours away from Winston-Salem, so it was just a random assignment by the ACC. The conference never does Wake any favors. 


How do you view the current state of the Virginia Tech football program? 

Virginia Tech has a great fan base and a great program. The ACC banked on them being a national contender – and the Hokies were for the first decade in the conference before the recent downturn. In a lot of ways, I see what has happened to Virginia Tech football and compare it to what happened with Wake basketball. A program that was very strong in the 90s and 00s but one that has since lost its way. I don’t know a lot about Brent Pry and was surprised with that hire. Probably too early to make any judgement on him. 

What is your outlook for the future of the ACC?

The GOR keeps the ACC intact for a while. If a school wants to leave, get ready to pay millions upon millions. The SEC and Big 10 are a Power 2, if you can’t get in either of them, I don’t know why a school would try to leave. The ACC is 3rd with the Big 12 4th and the latter’s TV deal runs up soon. The ACC will continue to survive in some shape, form, or fashion despite potential member schools leaving. 

What conference do you see Wake Forest belonging to in the next 5-10 years?

As long as there’s an ACC, Wake Forest will be a part of it. It may look / feel a little different though. Despite all of Wake’s winning across all sports, I don’t see Wake being a candidate for the SEC or Big 10.  

What are your expectations for the Virginia Tech game?

In preseason, I wrote – in pencil – this game as a W. Given our QB play, I don’t expect that now. Lane Stadium is awesome and the fans are fantastic. I think we’ll probably see a similar game to our Clemson game yesterday. Low-scoring, sloppy, ugly football. Turnovers and special teams will be important. If Wake can get a run game going and take the homecoming crowd out of it, maybe we’ve got a shot. 

What’s your prediction for the game?

A happy Homecoming for the Hokies, VT wins 20-16.

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Wake Forest Preview and Prediction

The Hokies took care of business last week against Boston College. I still believe that Boston College is the sneaky good team I described them as last week. Five turnovers were their downfall. But give them time and that’s going to look like a very good win at the end of the year. This week the Hokies move their attention to Wake Forest.

SP+ Rankings

Wake Forest reminds me of NC State. They are competent on both sides of the ball, but aren’t really great at any one thing. Their most impressive stat is being ranked 2nd in the nation averaging a +2 turnover margin per game. They’ve only turned the ball over once all year. That’ll keep you a lot of games. The scariest aspect of their offense is that they are VERY well balanced. If the Hokies can’t stop the run, they might run into a situation like the UNC game where Wake could pour on the points. I’m hopeful the run defense has improved since that game, but will the Hokies be able to stop Wake’s potent passing attack?

Offensively, this looks like a very good matchup for the Hokies. Wake has trouble stopping the run. The Hokies have been able to run all over everybody they’ve faced so far. I also don’t think Wake has seen a rushing attack with a mobile QB like the Hokies have in Hendon Hooker. You can bet to see some 8-man fronts from Wake to get the Hokies to have to beat them through the air. If Tech can keep them honest with the passing attack, Virginia Tech should have a big day on the ground.

This one has shootout written all over it. Wake will have success moving the football and putting up some points. The Hokies have a chance to limit that success if they can limit the run game and get after their quarterback. I like both offenses but Virginia Tech’s is a little better. With a few more bodies back on the defensive side of the ball, we’ll see an improved defensive effort as well. One thing that scares me is that Wake is very good in the return game. So that’s an element that could flip this game on it’s head. But all things being equal, I like a close game shootout where the Hokies end up winning by a touchdown.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 38, Wake Forest 31

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Wake Forest Preview and Prediction

That was a tough loss on the road at Notre Dame. Tech came very close to pulling a big upset on the road against a very good Fighting Irish team. The Hokies have four games remaining to get two wins for bowl eligibility. And they still control their own destiny in the Coastal division. The Hokies get an opportunity to rebound this week against a ranked Wake Forest team at home.

SP+ Rankings

Wake Forest

Overall: 46th
Offense: 38th
Defense: 63rd
Special Teams: 34th

Virginia Tech

Overall: 64th
Offense: 82nd
Defense: 55th
Special Teams: 62nd

The Hokies offense should look better this week with the return of Hendon Hooker. His return should see the offense return to the one we saw against North Carolina. Hooker gives the Hokies the ability to go downfield. He also gives the Hokies another threat in the running game. Wake Forest gives up a lot of yards thru the air. Hendon Hooker and the Hokies’ pass catchers need to have a big game for the Hokies to have a chance. The Hokies offense will need to keep up with Wake Forest’s high powered attack.

Wake Forest is one of the best offenses that the Hokies will face this season. QB Jamie Newman and his wide receivers have put up a ton of yards this season. They are seventh in the nation in total offense and ninth in passing offense. These guys have lit up the scoreboard on a lot of teams this season. The Hokies defensive backfield needs to be able to keep this passing game in check. Armani Chatman will have to step up in Jermaine Waller’s absence. Bud Foster will need to scheme to put pressure on Jamie Newman while not giving up the big play. The Hokies will need to bring a lunch pail attitude on Saturday.

This game looks a lot like last week’s game against Notre Dame. But Wake Forest has a more potent offense than Notre Dame. The Hokies were able to keep it close against Notre Dame with Quincy Patterson behind center. With Hendon Hooker, the Hokies should be able to put more points on the board. But they will also need to keep Wake Forest’s high powered offense from putting up a lot of points. Wake Forest’s experienced roster should give the Hokies some trouble.

Prediction: Wake Forest 31, Virginia Tech 27