Full Steam Ahead: Our Staff Makes Their Picks
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Last week was a fun game to watch. But it was only the Akron Zips. Now, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-0, 0-0 ACC) hit the road for a matchup on Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana, against the Purdue Boilermakers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten).
Gio Lopez threw for 350 yards last week and looked quite comfortable as QB1 for the Deacs. How will he do now on the road against a Power Four conference team? Sure, Purdue is not on the same scale as other Big Ten schools like Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon. But the Boilermakers are also a better team than Akron. Purdue is coming off a Week One win at home against in-state foe Indiana State. They beat the Sycamores 44-19.
Our editorial staff has an opinion on how this game will go. Each week, our crew will make their predictions. Trust us, this will become an intense competition as the season continues. And once again, we have all picked the Deacs to win, and to win by more than a touchdown.
Our average predicted margin of victory is 8.3 points (down from last week's 22.6). We are also predicting a total of 48.3 points in the game. That works out to an average prediction of Wake Forest winning 28-20.
Sean won last year's contest, but finds himself at the bottom of the standings after Week One. Last week, Justin and Seth came the closest, each predicting a score within six points of the final score. JD (he does know ball, or at least that's what we are told) and Will were both just one point off.
Staff Leaderboard after Week One:
Place | Name | Wins | Losses | Closest | Cumulative Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 (tie) | Justin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
1 (tie) | Seth | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
3 (tie) | JD | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
3 (tie) | Will | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
5 (tie) | Barry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
5 (tie) | Brandon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
5 (tie) | Keylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
8 | Andrew | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
9 | Alex | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
10 | Sean | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Staff Predictions - Wake Forest at Purdue
Alex Gendron (1-0) - Wake Forest 27-17
Andrew Bauhs (1-0) - Wake Forest 22-19
Barry Lewis (1-0) - Wake Forest 31-24
Brandon Oakes (1-0) - Wake Forest 38-24
JD Andress (1-0) - Wake Forest 27-21
Justin Kontul (1-0, one closest prediction) - Wake Forest 27-17
Keylor Piers (1-0) - Wake Forest 24-14
Sean Kennedy (1-0) - Wake Forest 30-17
Seth Dowdle (1-0, one closest prediction) - Wake Forest 27-24
Will Kunisaki (1-0) - Wake Forest 30-23
Do you agree with our picks? Let us know what you think the final score will be.
What's Next for the Demon Deacons?
The game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on September 12. It will be played at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. You can watch it on FS1.
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Barry is the managing editor/publisher of Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI sites. He oversees a team of 12+ writers and photographers covering all sports at Wake Forest. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include ACC Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has covered the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, ACC Kickoff, and ACC Tipoff. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.