No Feathers Ruffled. Our Staff Picks the Deacs to Outpeck the Blue Hens
In this story:
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-3, 4-3 ACC) play their penultimate game of the regular season on Saturday as they host the Fightin' Blue Hens from Delaware. It's Senior Day in Winston-Salem as the Deacs play their last home game and their last nonconference game of the season.
Delaware is in its freshman year of FBS play and has already amassed five wins, a win total not typically seen by teams in their first FBS year. Technically, since it is their first year, they are not eligible to play in a bowl game. However, come early December, if there are not enough eligible teams at 6-6 or better records, the Blue Hens could be considered. But to do so, they must get that sixth win first.
Will that win come this weekend? Our staff thinks that is highly unlikely. Our staff has once again unanimously picked Wake Forest to come out victorious, and this time by a wide margin. Our average predicted point differential is nearly three touchdowns - 20 points. And our average predicted total points is 50. That means we are anticipating a game somewhere in the 35-14 range.
Last week, our staff unanimously chose the Deacs to win over the Tar Heels. Carson came the closest with his prediction of Wake Forest 28 - UNC 17 (actual score was 28-12). Sean, though, maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard with an 8-1 record and two closest wins.
Staff Leaderboard after Week Twelve
Place | Name | Wins | Losses | Closest | Cumulative Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sean | 8 | 2 | 2 | 184 |
2 | Barry | 8 | 2 | 1 | 216 |
3 | Carson | 7 | 3 | 3 | 181 |
4 | Brett | 7 | 3 | 2 | 194 |
5 | Keylor | 7 | 3 | 1 | 231 |
6 | Ryder | 7 | 3 | 0 | 188 |
7 | JD | 7 | 3 | 0 | 211 |
8 | Blake | 6 | 4 | 1 | 193 |
9 | Andrew | 6 | 4 | 1 | 224 |
10 | Justin* | 6 | 1 | 0 | 123 |
11 | Evan* | 5 | 3 | 0 | 172 |
12 | Ian* | 3 | 2 | 0 | 131 |
* Writers who joined the staff after Week One
Staff Predictions - Wake Forest vs. Delaware
Andrew Bauhs (6-4; one closest prediction) - Wake Forest 38-16
Barry Lewis (8-2; one closest prediction) - Wake Forest 38-17
Blake Robison (6-4; one closest prediction) - Wake Forest 34-17
Brett Gibbons (7-3; two closest predictions) - Wake Forest 34-17
Carson Wersal (7-3; three closest predictions) - Wake Forest 42-14
Evan Harris* (5-3) - Wake Forest 28-6
Ian Napetian* (3-2), Wake Forest 34-17
JD Andress (7-3) - Wake Forest 31-13
Justin Kontul* (6-1) - Wake Forest 34-14
Keylor Piers (7-3; one closest prediction) - Wake Forest 27-6
Ryder Solberg (7-3) - Wake Forest 45-17
Sean Kennedy (8-2; two closest predictions) -Wake Forest 31-21
*Evan, Ian, and Justin joined our team after the season began.
Do you agree with our picks? Let us know what you think the final score will be.
What's Next?
The game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 22. It will be played at Allegacy Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC. It can be seen on The ACC Network.
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Barry is the managing editor/publisher of both the TCU Horned Frogs On SI and Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI sites. He oversees a team of 15+ writers, photographers, and podcasters covering all sports at both schools. 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, Big 12 Football Media Days, and Big 12 Basketball Media Days. 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.