BSD Roundtable: Predict Wake Forest’s Record This Season

We went ahead and got the easy questions out of the way for the first two weeks of the BSD Roundtable, so now it’s time to step into something that is a bit dicier - picking the record for Wake Forest this season.

Matt - 7-5 (4-4 in the ACC)

I’m thinking we go 7-5 regular season, beating BC, Cuse, Pitt, and either NC State or Duke.

Adam - 7-5 (4-4 in the ACC)

I say the Deacs finish the season 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference.

The wins are Tulane, Towson, BC, Rice, Syracuse, Pitt and Duke

Elijah - 8-5 (5-3 in ACC play), Bowl Prediction - Sun Bowl (El Paso)

With the positive momentum of the Wake Forest program, many expect big things. With an 8-5 season, bowl game victory, and third place finish (albeit in a three way tie) in the Atlantic, many presume Wake Forest will likely be able to best last year’s mark with the continuity on the offensive line and many other starters.

Unfortunately, with an unkind schedule, my belief is that Wake Forest will finish at 8-4 with a 5-3 record in the conference. However, due to the fifth win in the Conference, the Deacs might be able to sneak into a tie for second in the Atlantic and get a bid to the Sun Bowl as bowl committees like to shuffle around 2-4th place finishers around later bowl games. The 5 days of rest for BC and NC State scare me but it’s never easy for Wake Forest.

Riley - 8-5 (4-4 in ACC play), Bowl Prediction: Sun Bowl (El Paso)

This is one of the tougher years that I have had in trying to figure out how the Deacs will do. There are a ton of really good teams in the Atlantic Division, Wake returns a lot of talent, but there are a fair amount of question marks too, predominantly who the hell is going to be the QB for the first few games/season???

I predict that the Deacs will go 3-1 out of conference, picking up wins against Tulane, Towson, and Rice, but a close loss to Notre Dame. From there I believe Wake will take care of home games against Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Boston College, and pick up one of the road games against Louisville, Duke, and FSU to go 8-4 in the regular season. I want to go out on a limb and go for a big time upset, but I don’t have the stones to do it.

I’ll guess an El Paso trip for the team since it has gotten unbelievable luck the past few bowls, where, without knowing our opponent I assume we will win 100-0.

Despite the higher expectations, going 7-5 (4-4) against this division, and also Notre Dame/true road game against Tulane to start the season is a successful year in my opinion. Not all success will be linear in terms of records, and this is yet another year of laying the foundation for the future.

Ned - Overall: 8-5, ACC: 4-4, Bowl Prediction: Pinstripe Bowl (New York)

First and foremost, a 3rd straight bowl appearance seems like the absolute floor this season given all the talent coming back and the Deacs’ relatively favorable schedule. 7 home games, including an ACC crossover matchup against Pitt, makes obtaining 6 wins more than likely, while “down years” for UL, FSU, and State means the ceiling is decently high as well. At the end of the day, 8 wins feels right here, even though metrics like ESPN FPI have us capping out at around 6 or 7. The Pinstripe Bowl is an ideal postseason option for Wake fans now that Annapolis and Charlotte aren’t eligible, and I’ve heard WF has established a fairly good relationship with their committee in recent seasons. Sign me up for a trip to the Bronx against a Big Ten team right before New Years Eve. I’m ready for it.

Ed - Overall: 8-4 (9-4 with bowl victory), Conference: 5-3

Losses to Notre Dame, Clemson, NC State, and Florida State. Notre Dame will potentially be a top 25 team when they visit Winston-Salem. With this being Kendall Hinton’s first game back from suspension, I expect a few rough spots in the offense, and ultimately a close loss at home.

Clemson is Clemson. Enough said.

Carter-Finley Stadium has always been a really tough place to play for the Deacs, and with it being a Thursday night game on national TV against a very strong NC State squad, I’m not highly optimistic about this one.

Florida State may be down some, but I think they once again use home field advantage to squeak by in this one. If this one were in Winston, it would be a totally different story.

The Deacs ultimately go back to a bowl, and win for the third straight year to finish 9-4 overall, as the program continues to rise.

Rafael - 7-5 (4-4 in the ACC), Bowl Prediction - Sun Bowl (El Paso)

Fresh off a huge Bowl win against Texas A&M, this Wake Forest team has big aspirations this season. Making it to a bowl game has become the expectation now for the Deacs and some people even believe this team can get to 8-9 wins heading into a bowl game. With that being said, I have this team going 7-5 during the regular season, 4-4 in the ACC and heading to the Sun Bowl in December. This is a fair assessment of where this stand now with the question marks the Deacs have at QB and with their pass-rushing group. On the other side, if this offense gets some decent QB play, I would not be surprised to see this team getting to 8-4 with an upset win against one of Notre Dame, NC State, and Florida State.

Andrew - 7-6 (4-4 in ACC play)

I predict Wake to be 7-5 overall while being 4-4 in conference play. The two out of conference teams will help gain the team’s momentum early on without starting quarterback Kendall Hinton. The final three games will be the most challenging as they go up against both Duke and NC State away from Winston Salem.

However, I believe they’ll fall short in the potential Bowl Game. Between Hinton’s inexperience in bowl games, to the team’s questionable defense, I don’t think Wake will win back to back Bowl Games.