What the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll Means for Wake Forest
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The AP College Football Preseason Poll was recently released in preparation for the 2026 season, which is set to kick off this weekend. It's always interesting to see which teams are underrated and overrated in the preseason as the regular season nears.
Last season, Wake Forest played two teams that were ranked in the AP Poll at the conclusion of the 2025 season. They split those games by beating #19 Virginia on the road and narrowly falling to #22 Georgia Tech at home. Now we have a clearer picture of games against ranked opponents we can expect from the Deacs in 2026.
This season, the Deacs are currently set to play three ranked opponents, all in ACC play. If this holds through the season, it would surpass last season's two ranked opponents. Let's take a deeper dive into these matchups.
Hosting the Canes
First up, the Deacs will play host to the Miami Hurricanes in their third game of the season. The Canes enter the season ranked #7 in the AP Poll after falling to Indiana in last year's National Championship game. This season, they look to make a statement in the ACC with star-studded returners like Mark Fletcher Jr. and Malachi Toney, along with highly touted transfer quarterback Darian Mensah from Duke.
This game is set to take place on a Friday night in Winston-Salem and is sure to bring a packed crowd to Allegacy Stadium. The task is tall, but let's see if the Deacs can hang with a highly ranked opponent early in the season.
Facing the Cards
Right after facing the ACC favorite in Miami, the Deacs will travel to Louisville to take on the preseason #24-ranked Cardinals. This is set to be an entertaining battle against a Louisville team that has been very consistent in the upper tier of the ACC and looks to make a splash with transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. The Cardinals do have to face ranked teams in Ole Miss and SMU before facing Wake, so this ranking may not hold up by game time.
Down to Dallas
The Deacs' final ranked opponent comes in November, when they travel to Dallas to face SMU. The preseason #19-ranked Mustangs traveled to Winston-Salem last year in a game that Wake won thrillingly courtesy of a Connor Calvert game-winning field goal.
This win was a huge confidence-builder for last year's Demon Deacon squad, but now SMU looks to get revenge in their home stadium. They return a lot of key pieces defensively, including veteran quarterback Kevin Jennings.
As you can see, the Deacs are set to face three ranked opponents this season, one at home and two on the road. It certainly looks like a more challenging schedule than the Deacs faced last season, so let's see what they can do with the road ahead.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.