Can Wake Forest Clinch Bowl Eligibility Against Florida State?

The drama continues to heat up as the college football season is in full bloom; Wake Forest looks to punch their ticket this weekend to go bowling.

Wake Forest offensive lineman and captain, Kevin Kylany, celebrating following his team's 13–12 victory over the SMU Mustangs, Oct. 25, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5–2, 2–2 ACC) find themselves just one win away from bowl eligibility. That phrase was once a fun thing to daydream about; now, it is nearly a reality. The first team standing in the Deacs' way is the blundering, yet formidable Florida State Seminoles (3–4, 0–4 ACC). Here's how the two ACC foes stack up...

Florida State's Five Seconds of Fame

Oct 18, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) throws the football during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Florida State faced the heavyweight Alabama Crimson Tide in week one and toppled them in unfazed fashion. Their 31–17 victory was marked by dominance in both speed and physicality. The Seminoles seemed to be back.

They marched over their next two, lesser opponents, but met their maker in their fourth bout. The Virginia Cavaliers won an overtime thriller and have been ranked ever since. From here, the wheels began to fall off.

Next, they played the then-top-4 Miami Hurricanes. Despite scoring 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, Florida State lost 28–22. Following that up, they lost to a respectable Pittsburgh team, 34–31. Then, in their last go-around, they seemingly hit rock bottom when they lost to the Stanford Cardinal, 20–13.

Now, after a bye week—and likely with vengeance in their hearts—the Seminoles host Wake Forest for their Homecoming game.

Fun Fact: Wake Forest is currently 3–0 in Homecoming games (including its own) and will play its fourth-consecutive one against Florida State.

Blake's Take: My point is that Florida State is a good team; three of their four losses are to excellent opponents. While it has been quite easy to poke fun at Florida State in recent memory, they must not be underestimated. The Demon Deacons will have their work cut out for them in responding to the Seminoles' elite speed and size. On top of that, if FSU QB Tommy Castellanos can limit the interceptions, his play-making ability is elite—so much so that he caught the attention of Coach Dickert in his weekly press conference.

Wake Forest's Unconventional Winning Ways

Wake Forest kicker Connor Calvert (90) attempting a kick against the SMU Mustangs, Oct. 25, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

It started with their 10–9 scrape-by victory over Kennesaw State, thanks to the Owls' special teams woes (missed extra point and field goal). It must be acknowledged that Kennesaw State has positioned itself as a legitimate threat in Conference USA, but the point remains.

On the road against Virginia Tech, the Deacs blew a 24–14 halftime lead. The offense became inept, but redeemed itself after its six-and-a-half-minute drive in the fourth quarter to ice the Hokies.

Against Oregon State, the Demon Deacons had six scoring drives, consisting of a total of 15 plays. That is an average of two-and-a-half plays per drive—an extremely alarming statistic. Other than busted-coverage touchdowns, Wake Forest was inefficient and ineffective offensively. Nonetheless, they won.

Against SMU, Wake Forest punted eight times and had five turnovers (four offensive). Wake's defense performed at an elite level, but the offense was shut out in the second half. It took the special teams and Connor Calvert's 50-yard walk-off field goal to give Wake Forest their 13–12 win. However, that would not have been possible without Dallas Afalava's blocked extra point earlier in the contest.

Of Wake Forest's five wins this season, four of them came through unconventional means. Their only conventional victory was against the FCS Western Carolina Catamounts.

Blake's Take: The Demon Deacons have continually failed to put all their pieces together, yet still have themselves positioned at 5–2. Just imagine if they were able to operate as a complete unit: the defense continues to play at its elite level, special teams is consistent and turnover-free, and the offense sustains drives and plays just complementary to the defense. It really is not a lot to ask, because we have seen all of these working at one time or another. This weekend is a perfect opportunity for the Deacs to put everything together, because Florida State is likely to welcome them to Tallahassee with vulturous intentions.

The Demon Deacons are the underdogs, but momentum proves to be a powerful drug. Florida State has had an extra week to dissect the Wake Forest schemes, but they also have parts of their fanbase calling for head coach Mike Norvell's job.