Making the Call – Wake Forest vs. Louisville, Our Staff Makes Their Picks
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Last week, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-1 ACC) had a spark in the 2nd half against then No. 5 Miami but just could not pull off the upset. This week, they have to play another ranked team, this time on the road, They face the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (2-1, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday.
Gio Lopez was initially listed as "questionable" on the ACC injury report. He has since been upgraded to "probable." The Deacs are going to need a healthy Lopez if they want a chance to pull off this upset.
Our editorial staff has an opinion on how this game will go. Each week, our staff will make their predictions. Trust us, this will become an intense competition as the season continues. Our staff, once again, is unanimous in our picks. And once again, we have all picked against the Deacs. It's just a matter of by how much Louisville will win by. Trust us. We all would love to be wrong about this one.
Our average predicted margin of victory for the Cardinals is just over a touchdown, at 8.8 points. We are also predicting a total of 61.6 points in the game. That works out to an average prediction of Louisville winning 35-27
After Week Three, Brandon remains at the top for a second straight week. However, last week, Alex, another of our rookies, had the win. He predicted Miami would win 30-20 (the actual score was 33-20). That win moved Alex up to 4th place on our leaderboard. the
Staff Leaderboard after Week Three:
Place | Name | Wins | Losses | Closest | Cumulative Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brandon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 |
2 (tie) | Seth | 3 | 0 | 1 | 44 |
2 (tie) | Justin | 3 | 0 | 1 | 44 |
4 | Alex | 3 | 0 | 1 | 47 |
5 | Barry | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
6 | JD | 3 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
7 | Andrew | 3 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
8 (tie) | Keylor | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
8 (tie) | Will | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
10 | Sean | 3 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
Staff Predictions - Wake Forest Demon Deacons at No. 16 Louisville Cardinals
Alex Gendron (3-0, one closest prediction) - Louisville 35-24
Andrew Bauhs (3-0) - Louisville 36-21
Barry Lewis (3-0) - Louisville 31-27
Blake Robison (0-0 - Louisville 37-24*
Brandon Oakes (3-0, one closest prediction) - Louisville 35-34
JD Andress (3-0) - Louisville 31-20
Justin Kontul (3-0, one closest prediction) - Louisville 41-38
Keylor Piers (3-0) - Louisville 24-20
Sean Kennedy (3-0) - Louisville 42-31
Seth Dowdle (3-0, one closest prediction) - Louisville 41-20
Will Kunisaki (3-0) - Louisville 34-31
* Blake did not participate in Weeks 1-3
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 26. It will be played at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, KY. You can watch it on ESPN. Can the Deacs get a road win against a ranked opponent?
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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.