Will the Deacs Handle Nationally-Ranked Georgia Tech? Our Staff Makes Their Picks
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It's been more than two weeks since the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-1 ACC) took to the gridiron after losing to NC State in their opening game of conference play on September 11.
Did the Deacs take advantage of the bye week and work on the fundamentals needed to be able to handle No. 16 Georgia Tech when the Yellow Jackets come buzzing into Allegacy Stadium on Saturday afternoon?
Wake Forest enters the matchup at 2-1 after squeaking by against Kennesaw State, decisively beating Western Carolina, and then collapsing in the second half against NC State, after a very competitive first half.
What does our staff think about the game? Our staff is unanimous this week in our picks. All of us have Georgia Tech winning this game by a wide margin. In fact, our average differential is nearly three touchdowns (20). Blake, though, does think the score will be much tighter.
"The combined record of Georgia Tech's opponents is 7-9, with their best competition being the flailing Clemson Tigers. The Deacs might not win, but if the pieces start clicking, it will get interesting against the Yellow Jackets."Wake Forest On Si writer Blake Robison
In Week Three, Brett, once again, was the closest with a prediction of NC State winning 35-21 (actual score was NC State 34 - Wake 24). With his two closest score predictions this season, Brett is at the top of our leaderboard. Andrew, Sean, and JD are all 3-0 and next on the leaderboard. Andrew has the edge, though, because his cumulative point differential is less.
Staff Leaderboard after Week Four
Place | Name | Wins | Losses | Closest | Cumulative Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brett | 3 | 0 | 2 | 48 |
2 | Andrew | 3 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
3 | Sean | 3 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
4 | JD | 3 | 0 | 0 | 71 |
5 | Carson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 63 |
6 | Blake | 2 | 1 | 0 | 59 |
7 | Ryder | 2 | 1 | 0 | 64 |
8 (tie) | Keylor | 2 | 1 | 0 | 74 |
8 (tie) | Barry | 2 | 1 | 0 | 74 |
10 | Evan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
11 | Justin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Staff Predictions - Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech
Andrew Bauhs (3-0) - Georgia Tech 45-14
Barry Lewis (2-1) - Georgia Tech 38-17
Blake Robison (2-1) - Georgia Tech 31-24
Brett Gibbons (3-0; two closest predictions) - Georgia Tech 35-17
Carson Wersal (2-1; one closest prediction) - Georgia Tech 34-21
Evan Harris* (1-0) - Georgia Tech 42-13
JD Andress (3-0) - Georgia Tech 34-17
Justin Kontul* (0-0) - Georgia Tech 31-21
Keylor Piers (2-2) - Georgia Tech 49-21
Ryder Solberg (2-1) - Georgia Tech 38-10
Sean Kennedy (3-0) -Georgia Tech 35-17
*Evan and Justin joined our team after the season began. Neither participated in the first two or three staff predictions
Do you agree with our picks? Let us know what you think the final score will be.
The game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 27. It will be played at Allegacy Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC, and can be seen on ESPN.
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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.