Wake Forest heads to Dallas on Saturday with a lot on the line. At 8-1 overall and No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Demon Deacons have spent the fall building a real championship case, and that work now carries into a heavyweight ACC matchup against SMU.
The stakes are straightforward. Wake Forest is 5-1 in conference play, riding a six-game winning streak, and its path to the ACC Championship Game remains alive. A road win would strengthen that position while also adding another quality result against a fellow conference contender.
Wake Forest's recent form has changed the conversation
Wake Forest's resume has been helped by both consistency and production. The Demon Deacons have won 17 of their last 22 games over a two-year span, and the offense has shown enough firepower to keep pressure on opponents. Last weekend's 77-0 win over Merrimack was the latest example, and it followed a stretch in which Wake Forest has reached more than 50 points multiple times.
That kind of scoring makes Wake Forest dangerous in any matchup, especially when the team is playing with confidence. It also gives the Demon Deacons a chance to dictate pace early if they can carry that rhythm into Dallas.
SMU brings its own difficult home challenge
SMU has become a difficult team to beat at home since joining the ACC in 2024. The Mustangs have not lost an ACC home game since then, which adds another layer to Saturday's matchup. That makes the setting important for Wake Forest, which is trying to handle a road environment while keeping its postseason path open.
The game has been framed as a consequential one for both sides, but Wake Forest enters with the stronger national position. A No. 13 ranking gives the Demon Deacons a margin for error that many teams do not have, yet it also means the pressure to maintain that standing is real.
Coaching stability arrives at the right time
Wake Forest also enters the game with some extra stability on the sideline. On Thursday, the school announced a long-term extension for head coach Jake Dickert. On Friday, Wake Forest extended offensive coordinator Rob Ezell's tenure. Those moves do not change Saturday's challenge, but they do underscore the direction of the program as it makes a push toward the ACC title race.
For Wake Forest, the prediction is simple: the Demon Deacons have the stronger resume and the momentum to match it, but SMU's home success makes this a much tougher test than the rankings suggest. If Wake Forest plays close to the level it has shown during this run, it has a real chance to leave Dallas still in the ACC Championship Game conversation.
