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The preseason Amway Coaches Poll was released on Thursday, and that’s yet another indication that the college football season is just around the corner. The Wake Forest football team typically plays a very difficult conference slate due to being a member of the ACC’s Atlantic Division. How many Top 25 foes do the Deacs play this season?
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0-0 | 1585 | 55 | NR |
| 2 | Clemson Tigers | 0-0 | 1524 | 7 | NR |
| 3 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 1398 | 0 | NR |
| 4 | Florida State Seminoles | 0-0 | 1351 | 1 | NR |
| 5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 1321 | 0 | NR |
| 6 | LSU Tigers | 0-0 | 1241 | 0 | NR |
| 7 | Stanford Cardinal | 0-0 | 1149 | 0 | NR |
| 8 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 1062 | 0 | NR |
| 9 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0-0 | 1034 | 0 | NR |
| 10 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0-0 | 960 | 1 | NR |
| 11 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 901 | 0 | NR |
| 12 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0-0 | 792 | 0 | NR |
| 13 | Houston Cougars | 0-0 | 668 | 0 | NR |
| 14 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0-0 | 649 | 0 | NR |
| 15 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0-0 | 579 | 0 | NR |
| 16 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0-0 | 525 | 0 | NR |
| 17 | USC Trojans | 0-0 | 468 | 0 | NR |
| 18 | Washington Huskies | 0-0 | 454 | 0 | NR |
| 19 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0-0 | 426 | 0 | NR |
| 20 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0-0 | 422 | 0 | NR |
| 21 | Baylor Bears | 0-0 | 383 | 0 | NR |
| 22 | Oregon Ducks | 0-0 | 361 | 0 | NR |
| 23 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 331 | 0 | NR |
| 24 | UCLA Bruins | 0-0 | 296 | 0 | NR |
| 25 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 245 | 0 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes: Miami (Fla.) 120; Wisconsin 82; Utah 73; Boise State 73; Washington State 47; Texas A&M 37; Texas 34; Arkansas 34; Northwestern 31; Navy 30; Mississippi State 19; San Diego State 18; Nebraska 17; Auburn 17; Western Kentucky 11; Pittsburgh 8; Brigham Young 6; Appalachian State 4; Duke 3; Arizona 2; Marshall 2; Toledo 2; South Florida 2; Memphis 1; Indiana 1; Northern Illinois 1. | |||||
In total, Wake Forest will play 3 Top 25 teams, including 2 of the top 4 teams in the country (Clemson and Florida State). Additionally, Duke and Indiana each received at least one vote to be in the Top 25.
Wake fans will find out early on how the Deacs stack up against the Blue Devils, as the Deacs travel to Durham in week two. Wake will travel to Bloomington to take on Indiana on September 24th. Wake Forest will likely be underdogs in each of these contest, but if they can come away with a win in either, that sets them up beautifully for a bowl bid.
On October 15th, the Deacs will travel to Tallahassee to take on the nation’s number 4 team. Mid November will be a brutal stretch, as the Deacs play at Louisville on November 12th, before returning home on the 19th to host the #2 Clemson Tigers. It’s going to be extremely difficult to win one of these three, but a win would give Clawson plenty to talk about regarding the #aWAKEning.
The majority of Wake’s difficult games will be played away from BB&T Field this season. While that reduces Wake’s chances of earning a signature win, it does mean that Wake’s more winnable games are even more winnable given that they are played in the friendly confines of BB&T Field.
Which game against a Top 25 team are you all looking forward to the most?