The Wake Forest Accomplishment No Other ACC Team Could Do in Last Two Seasons

The Demon Deacons played SMU on Saturday for the first time as conference opponents. The result was a first for the Mustangs

The Wake Forest defense makes a tackle on SMU. The Deacs won the game 13-12. | Evan Harris - Wake Forest On SI

When Conner Calvert's 50-yard walk-off field goal just inched over the crossbar on Saturday, it gave the Wake Forest Demon Deacons their second conference win of the season. It gave them their fifth win of the season, putting them just one win away from being bowl eligible. It also gave Jake Dickert a signature win in his first year as the Deacs' head coach.

However, it also did something else. It gave Wake Forest an honor that no one in the ACC saw coming. It was something ten other teams in the league were unable to do - teams like Florida State, Louisville, Clemson, Duke, and Stanford (twice!).

The 13-12 Wake Forest win was SMU's first regular-season loss in ACC conference play. The Mustangs joined the ACC in 2024. They ran the table last year, going 8-0 in conference play and securing a berth in the ACC Championship Game. Yes, Clemson did win, but SMU did get an at-large bid in the College Football Playoffs.

In fact, SMU's regular-season conference winning streak preceded its joining the ACC. In 2023, SMU went 8-0 in the American Athletic Conference. Their last regular-season loss to a conference opponent was to the Tulane Green Wave on November 17, 2022.

This season, SMU started the season going 2-2 in nonconference play, which may have given hope to ACC teams on the schedule that this year's SMU team was not the same as last year's. But then SMU started conference play and continued where they left off last season.

Coming into Saturday's game, the Mustangs were 3-0 in ACC play with wins over Syracuse, Stanford, and Clemson. In fact, in those three games, SMU had outscored its opponents 100-52.

Nation's Longest Conference Winning Streak Comes to an End

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee reacts to a play during the game with Wake Forest. | Evan Harris - Wake Forest On SI

Before Saturday, SMU had a 20-game regular-season conference game winning streak. It was the longest in the nation.

The odds were against Wake Forest. Not just the Vegas odds. But the fact, that on paper, SMU looked to be the better team, and had the ACC record to support that assertion.

But thanks to that walk-off kick by Calvert, Wake Forest came away with a win. There's work to do for the Deacs to finish the season strong and possibly make it to a bowl game. But whatever comes next for the Deacs, they will forever have the honor of handling the SMU Mustangs their first-ever loss in ACC regular-seadon play, one and half years after joining the league.