BSD Staff Predictions for the Second Half of the Season

With this being the bye week, there isn't a whole lot to talk about. But as such, we compiled some of our staff’s predictions for the second half of the season. Check them out below.

Cam

Gonna be optimistic here: Wake goes 5-1 over the next 6 games. I’m chalking Louisville and Pitt as easy/easier wins. NC state on the road? Chalk that up as an L. That leaves FSU, cuse, and duke. The FSU game for me is the catalyst. If the deacs get rolling against an opponent they have a good chance against then the season is theirs. If not... things could get ugly. I think they right the ship after the bye week AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THATS GOOD STAY HEALTHY. The deacs rattle off some wins and cruise into a good bowl

Also Sam Hartman doesn’t start every game for the Deacs

Adam

The Deacs finish 5-7 with wins over Pitt and Louisville and losses to FSU, Syracuse, Duke, and NC State.

Elijah

Wake Forest is at the half way point of the season with a 3-3 record. Disappointing in some regards (especially the defense), the Deacs will have a tough battle to get back to a bowl game.

Wake’s schedule for the rest of the way include a couple winnable games but also a few tough ones making 6 victories and bowl game eligibility a potential question. That being said, my prediction is that Wake Forest will make a bowl game with three more victories in the second half. Wake will win three more games and my other prediction is that they’ll do so even with a loss to ACC doormat Pittsburgh (meaning they’ll upset somebody).

While this season can be seen as a disappointment without a true signature moment against opponents like Notre Dame and Clemson, this season could springboard QB Sam Hartman and the Deacs offense to perhaps 2-3 years of strong quarterback play as the experience for Hartman is truly valuable.

Riley

The first six games of the year have told us a lot about Wake Forest and the football team that we have this season. Sitting at 3-3 with some ugly losses and a lot of questions, especially on defense, is not exactly where most wanted us to be. That being said, there are six games remaining, and the Deacs need to “simply” go 3-3 again to make its third straight bowl for just the second time in school history. Aside from at N.C. State on Thursday night I consider the other five games all winnable, but can Wake get to that six win threshold is the big question?

For me that answer is no. I think Wake will fall just short of the six wins necessary to make a bowl, finishing at 5-7. My best guess is that the Deacs will steal one on the road against Louisville or Florida State, and also beat Pitt, but won’t be able to secure the sixth win with Cuse in Winston, or at Duke to finish the season. At this point I would guess our expectancy to make a bowl game is somewhere around 20-25% based on the remaining teams on our schedule, but based on the injuries, lack of defense at all, and four remaining road games, I do not think we get to six unfortunately.

Samurai

I’m gonna go nuts and say I think we go 4-2 with losses to State and either FSU or Louisville and winning the rest.

Andrew

Final Record: 6-6

So far this year, it seems to be that the true problem for this Wake team has been their lack of presence on the defensive side. In the ground game, there have been numerous occasions where opposing running backs capped over 110 yards rushing. Oddly enough, the runs aren’t coming off of constant pounding of the rock, instead, the team has gotten beat on too many chunk plays which resulted in big yardages. This should be the team’s number one emphasis on the defensive end if they wish to carry out a successful second half campaign this year.

It also may be time to replace freshman Sam Hartman for Kendall Hinton. We’ve already seen what Hartman can do over the past six games, and he has proven himself to be a stable orchestrator of the offense. However, if the team wants to focus on winning in the present and allowing for Hartman to learn more of the team’s schematics, then placing him on the sidelines would be best for both parties.

Combining Hinton’s ability to move out of the pocket with the established running back duo of Cade Carney and Matt Colburn, expect Wake to come out with a different but effective style of offensive play out of their bye week.

In all, I expect a different Wake team coming into the second half this year. They’ve identified their strengths and weaknesses and should end off this season on a high note.

Edward

Wake has had some tough games so far, and some REALLY bad luck with injuries. At this point, 3-3 is about where you can expect us to be given the circumstances.

I think we will go 2-4 over the second half of the season. Too many injuries lead to a lack of depth at certain positions, and that ultimately is too much of an obstacle to overcome. Sam Hartman will get some valuable experience the rest of the season, but he is still a freshman and will still make freshman mistakes. The defense is probably better than it was, but it is still a long way from being where it needs to be to compete in the ACC. The scheduling people were not kind to us this year, as five straight home games before the bye leave us with four out of the final six on the road. I predict we will beat Pittsburgh and Louisville, but lose to Florida State, NC State, Syracuse, and Duke. This leaves us with a 5-7 record and unfortunately just short of a bowl game.

What do you all predict Wake will do in the second half of the season? Comment below.