One of the oldest continuous college football rivalries will renew for the 120th time on Saturday as Wake Forest visits NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium. The game kicks off at noon and will be broadcast on The CW.
Wake Forest (4-1) is one of the hottest teams in the ACC right now, upsetting nationally ranked Louisville two weeks ago and then drubbing Stanford 57-3 on Saturday.
Things have been more of a roller coaster for NC State, but the Pack still owns a 3-2 record after back-to-back home wins over Appalachian State and Louisville following a calamitous loss at Vanderbilt.
Here is everything to know about Wake Forest at NC State, including odds, injury updates, stat comparisons, series history and what to know.
🔄 Last Updated: October 6, 2026 1:40 pm
🏟️ How to Watch Wake Forest at NC State Football
Matchup: Wake Forest (4-1, 2-1 ACC) at NC State (3-2, 1-1 ACC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium (Raleigh, NC)
TV Station: The CW
📊 Wake Forest vs. NC State betting odds
Spread: Wake Forest -3.5
Over/Under Total: 59.5 points
Moneyline: Wake Forest -176 | NC State +146
Lines courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds will be refreshed periodically during the week. All lines are subject to change.
🩹 Injury Updates
Official availability reports from the ACC are released each week starting on Wednesdays. Information from those reports will be added here later in the week.
⏪ Last Time Out
Wake Forest 57, Stanford 3 (Oct. 3) – The Demon Deacons built on their upset of Louisville by pummeling visiting Stanford in Winston-Salem. It was the Deacs’ largest margin of victory ever in an ACC game. Gio Lopez rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two more scores. The Wake Forest defense held Stanford to 197 yards of offense.
NC State 31, Louisville 28 (Oct. 3) – Harvey Dyson III forced a crucial fourth-quarter fumble after a long Louisville run, and Kanoah Vinesett kicked what would be the game-winning field goal with 5:30 left. CJ Bailey threw for 373 yards with two touchdowns.
🔍 What to Know About Wake Forest at NC State
Gio Lopez has found a home at Wake Forest
Gio Lopez’s reunion with offensive coordinator Rob Ezell has turned into one of the most satisfying stories of Wake Forest’s season.
Lopez followed Ezell to Winston-Salem after previously playing for him at South Alabama, and the familiarity has shown. Through five games, Lopez has thrown for 1,377 yards with 10 touchdowns and just one interception while helping Wake Forest to a 4-1 start.
He has been particularly impressive during the Demon Deacons’ current surge. Lopez accounted for five touchdowns – three rushing and two passing – in Saturday’s 57-3 rout of Stanford, one week after helping Wake Forest knock off then-No. 16 Louisville.
With Lopez directing the offense, Wake Forest enters Raleigh averaging 36.6 points and 445 yards per game.
CJ Bailey has bounced back from a costly mistake
NC State quarterback CJ Bailey’s season could have gone sideways after the disastrous ending at Vanderbilt a few weeks ago. Bailey’s fumble in the end zone while trying to run out the clock helped turn a likely Wolfpack victory into a painful road loss – and brought national scrutiny.
But the junior quarterback has responded. He threw for 373 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 31-28 victory over Louisville and has NC State back above .500 heading into another important ACC game.
Bailey has thrown for 1,266 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He’ll face a Wake Forest defense that has been strong against the run but has allowed 235.4 passing yards per game.
Saturday gives Bailey another opportunity to show that the Vanderbilt ending was a bad moment rather than something that defines his and NC State’s season.
Wake Forest is becoming one of the ACC’s biggest surprises
The Jake Dickert era at Wake Forest continues to gather momentum, with message board chatter having him as one of the biggest names to watch in the next cycle of the coaching carousel.
Dickert is 13-5 since taking over the program before the 2025 season, and the Demon Deacons enter Saturday having won four of their first five games this year. Their only loss came against a Top 10 Miami squad, and they followed it by beating nationally ranked Louisville and overwhelming Stanford by 54 points.
Wake Forest has yet to crack the national rankings, but another road victory over NC State would make the Demon Deacons increasingly difficult for voters – and the rest of the ACC – to ignore.
It also would put Wake Forest at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference at the midpoint of the regular season. Could the program that bills itself as “Built in the Dark” become a dark horse College Football Playoff contender?
An old rivalry with deep Triangle roots
Few college football rivalries have more history than Wake Forest-NC State.
The schools first met in 1895, when NC State was still known as North Carolina A&M, and have played every season since 1910. Saturday will be the 120th meeting, with NC State holding a 70-43-6 advantage.
The rivalry also has geographic roots that predate Wake Forest’s move to Winston-Salem in the 1950s. The university was originally located in the town of Wake Forest, just north of Raleigh, until the college relocated to Winston-Salem in the 1950s.
The series has remained remarkably competitive recently. NC State has won three of the past four meetings, but the teams have split the past 10. Even against the spread, the teams are 5-5 over the past 10 contests.
Something has to give when NC State runs the football
One of Saturday’s most intriguing matchups will be NC State’s deep rushing attack against a Wake Forest defense that has been difficult to run against. The Wolfpack is averaging 199.2 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry, with production coming from several different players.
Jayden “Duke” Scott leads the way with 358 yards and four touchdowns, but Davion Gause has 188 yards, Will Wilson has 166 and six touchdowns, and quarterback CJ Bailey has added 118 yards and two scores.
Wake Forest, meanwhile, is allowing only 111.4 rushing yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. The Demon Deacons have surrendered just six rushing touchdowns through five games.
📊 Wake Forest vs. NC State Stats and Trends
Wake Forest Team Highlights (2026 Season)
- Points For: 36.6 points per game
- Points Against: 23.0 points per game
- Passing Offense: 288.0 yards per game
- Rushing Offense: 157.0 yards per game
- Passing Defense: 235.4 yards per game
- Rushing Defense: 111.4 yards per game
Wake Forest Individual Statistical Leaders
- Passing: Gio Lopez – 1,377 yards, 10 TDs, 1 INT
- Rushing: Ty Clark III – 258 yards, 3 TDs
- Receiving: Carlos Hernandez – 603 yards, 3 TDs
- Tackles: Vincent Firenze – 38 tackles (15 solo), 4.0 TFLs
- Interceptions: Dallas Afalava, Somad Eaddy – 1 interception each
NC State Team Highlights
- Points For: 36.8 points per game
- Points Against: 25.6 points per game
- Passing Offense: 260.8 passing yards per game
- Rushing Offense: 199.2 rushing yards per game
- Passing Defense: 215.8 passing yards per game
- Rushing Defense: 143.4 rushing yards per game
NC State Individual Statistical Leaders
- Passing: CJ Bailey – 1,266 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs
- Rushing: Jayden “Duke” Scott – 358 yards, 4 TDs
- Receiving: Keenan Jackson – 339 yards, 5 TDs
- Tackles: Popo Aguirre – 43 tackles (16 solo), 3 fumble recoveries
- Interceptions: Three players with one interception each
📈 What the Numbers Say
- NC State has been outstanding on third down. The Wolfpack has converted 39 of 73 third downs (53.4%) while allowing opponents to convert just 30.7%. Wake Forest has converted a solid 45.9%, but opponents are at 41.9%.
- Wake Forest doesn’t need to dominate possession to move the football. The Deacs average just 27:48 in time of possession and have run 34 fewer plays than their opponents, yet are averaging 445 yards per game and 6.8 yards per play. Wake’s opponents average only 4.8 yards per play.
- Finishing games has been a trouble spot for NC State. The Wolfpack has outscored opponents 154-76 through the first three quarters but has been outscored 52-30 in the fourth. Wake Forest has outscored its opponents in every quarter this season, including 34-25 in the fourth.
- Both teams have been reliable when points are available. Wake Forest has scored on 23 of 25 red-zone trips, while NC State is 22 of 25. The kicking games have been excellent, too: Wake’s Connor Calvert is 9-for-10 on field goals and NC State’s Kanoah Vinesett is a perfect 7-for-7.
📚 Series History
- NC State leads the all-time series 70-43-6
- Last Meeting: NC State 34, Wake Forest 24 (Sept. 11, 2025)
- First Meeting: North Carolina A&M (NCSU) 4, Wake Forest 4 (Oct. 19, 1895)
- NC State and Wake Forest have played every year since 1910 – the longest continuous rivalry between two current ACC schools. Only Minnesota vs. Wisconsin has a longer streak among current FBS teams.
- The Wolfpack has won three of the past four meetings, though the teams are 5-5 over the last 10.
- NC State owns a 38-22-4 record playing Wake Forest at home.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- Wake Forest Football Schedule
- NC State Football Schedule
- ACC Standings
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
