Where the Demon Deacons Bowl Projections Stand After the Bye Week
At 4-2, Wake Forest has been a surprise in the ACC and is now earning bowl projections heading into Week 9 of the college football season. The majority of the projections from ESPN, CBS, and even Sports Illustrated have the Demon Deacons traveling to Florida for their bowl game appearance.
In both of Wake Forest's losses this season, the Demon Deacons held significant leads at halftime or late in the game. Against NC State, Jake Dickert and his team held a 7-point lead over the Wolfpack at halftime before having a rough fourth quarter where they were outscored 10-0. Against now No.7 Georgia Tech, Wake Forest held a lead late into the fourth quarter before the Yellowjackets tied the Demon Deacons 23-23 on a late field goal, sending the game into overtime.
Despite the losses, the improvement for the Wake Forest football program is evident. Through their first six games last year, the Demon Deacons held a 2-4 overall record with the same record in conference play.
Wake Forest's Bowl Projections After the Bye Week
ESPN
StaffDNA Cure Bowl vs Temple
The StaffDNA Cure Bowl is played on December 17th at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. In 2024, Ohio beat Jacksonville St. in an absolute thriller with a final score of 30-27. The win for the Bobcats also marked their first 11-win season and their sixth straight bowl win.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl vs Kansas State
The Gasparilla Bowl, and more specifically the Union Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, is located in Tampa Bay, Florida, and is played at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In last year's Gasparilla Bowl, the Florida Gators stomped Tulane 33-8.
Sports Illustrated
Fenway Bowl vs Tulane
The Fenway Bowl is played on Dec. 27 at, you guessed it, Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox. In last year's edition of the bowl game, which featured some cold and rainy weather, UConn defeated North Carolina 27-14 with a two-touchdown performance from Huskies quarterback Joe Fagnano.
CBS Sports
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl vs Memphis
CBS Sports projects the same thing as ESPN's Mark Schlabach. This time, the Demon Deacons are expected to match up with the Memphis Tigers, who have bounced back and forth between the top 25 this season. Since their loss to UAB this past weekend, the Tigers fell out of the AP rankings from the No.22 spot.
Why Wake Forest's Road to a Bowl Game is Still Uncertain
Even with Chris Barnes's emergence as a true No.1 wide receiver for the Demon Deacons, Jake Dickert's path to a bowl game still holds significant challenges. The first of those challenges comes this weekend when the SMU Mustangs visit Winston-Salem for a conference matchup that's slated for a morning kickoff.
In their remaining schedule, Wake Forest has visits to Florida State, No.16 Virginia, and Duke. While the program does have home games against North Carolina and Delaware, all three of their road games could prove to be extremely difficult. If Wake Forest plans to make a bowl game, they may have to steal a game against the Seminoles, Cavaliers, or Blue Devils to feel comfortable about their postseason chances.
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Carson, a 2025 TCU graduate, is a sports journalist who covers college athletics for several On SI sites. While most of his experience is with TCU On SI, he also writes with Wake Forest On SI and Houston On SI. He also has a passion for the college baseball scene, most notably being a fan of TCU Baseball. In 2023, Carson was in Omaha and reported on the Men’s College World Series, where TCU finished 4th in the nation. His past work not only consists of major sports like football, basketball, and baseball, but with others like track and field and cross country as well.