Wake Forest football has emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 college football season. Now the nationally ranked Demon Deacons will look to keep their remarkable run going when they host Virginia on Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem.
The No. 14 Demon Deacons (6-1, 4-1 ACC) have won four consecutive games, including convincing road victories over NC State and California. With bowl eligibility already secured, Wake Forest remains firmly in contention for a spot in the ACC championship game.
Virginia (4-4, 2-3 ACC) arrives looking to snap a two-game losing streak after narrow losses to SMU and Duke. The Cavaliers have been competitive defensively but have struggled to generate consistent offense against conference opponents.
Saturday’s matchup kicks off at 3:45 p.m. at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
🔄 Last Updated: October 27, 2026 8:33 pm
🏟️ How to Watch Wake Forest Football vs. Virginia
Matchup: Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, 2-3 ACC) at Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1 ACC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026
Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
Location: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Winston-Salem, NC)
TV Station: ESPN2
Broadcast Crew: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), Sherree Burruss (sideline)
📻 How to Listen to Wake Forest Football
Wake Forest Sports Network: WBRF 98.1 FM (Triad), WPOL 103.5 FM / 1340 AM (Winston-Salem) and affiliates on the Wake Forest Sports Network (Learfield).
📊 Virginia at Wake Forest Betting Odds
Spread: Wake Forest -12.5
Over/Under Total: 49.5 points
Moneyline: Virginia +385 | Wake Forest -500
Lines courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds will be refreshed periodically during the week. All lines are subject to change.
🩹 Injury & Availability Updates
The Atlantic Coast Conference releases its initial Football Availability Report three days before each conference game, followed by daily updates leading up to kickoff.
Official availability reports for Wake Forest vs. Virginia have not yet been released. NC Football News will update this section after the conference publishes its first report.
Wake Forest
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Virginia
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⏪ 2026 Season Rewind
Wake Forest 2026 Results (6-1, 4-1 ACC)
Wake Forest 38, Akron 16
Wake Forest 38, Purdue 36 (2 OT)
Miami 33, Wake Forest 20
Wake Forest 30, Louisville 27
Wake Forest 57, Stanford 3
Wake Forest 38, NC State 14
Wake Forest 41, California 7
Virginia 2026 Results (4-4, 2-3 ACC)
Virginia 34, NC State 8
Virginia 59, Norfolk State 3
West Virginia 38, Virginia 27
Virginia 42, Delaware 3
Florida State 38, Virginia 7
Virginia 28, Syracuse 25
SMU 23, Virginia 13
Duke 19, Virginia 16
Last Time Out
Wake Forest 41, Cal 7 (Oct. 17): The Demon Deacons scored 34 points in the first half and held Cal off the board until the fourth quarter in a dominating performance. Gio Lopez accounted for four touchdowns, and the Deacs locked up bowl eligibility.
Duke 19, Virginia 16 (Oct. 23): Will Bettridge kicked a 30-yard field goal with three minutes left to put the Cavs ahead 16-13. But Duke drove 75 yards for the winning score with 1:14 to play. Running back Nate Sheppard threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brody Keefe and the Devils captured the rematch of the 2025 ACC title game.
🔍 What to Know About Wake Forest Football vs. Virginia
Wake Forest is a Top 15 football team
It took a few weeks to convince voters that Wake Forest was worthy of a national ranking. But forging a 6-1 overall record with a current four-game win streak – which has included convincing road wins at NC State and California – has the Deacs now ranked No. 14 by the Associated Press and No. 15 in the coaches poll.
That’s the second-best ranking among ACC schools behind No. 1 Miami (Wake’s only loss).
But there is still plenty of work to be done. Bowl eligibility is already in the bag but the Deacs have the opportunity to play their way into the ACC championship game and possibly the College Football Playoff if the hot streak continues.
The Gio Lopez renaissance continues
The Wake Forest quarterback has been impressive all season after transferring from UNC, directing one of the most explosive offenses in the ACC. Lopez has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,947 yards, 17 touchdowns and only one interception. He also has rushed for six scores.
Wake Forest’s scoring offense (37.4 points per game) ranks third in the league, and the passing offense (290.3 yards per game) is fourth. Only Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and SMU QB Kevin Jennings average more passing yards per game and have more TD throws.
Rob Ezell’s “power spread” offensive scheme at Wake Forest plays perfectly into Lopez’s strengths as a mobile quarterback. Lopez has been getting the ball into the hands of playmakers and not turning it over.
Scuffling Virginia looking to get back on track
Virginia roared out of the gates to start the season, clubbing NC State 34-8 and Norfolk State 59-3. But it has been more of a roller coaster since then, and the Cavaliers have lost three of their last four games.
Virginia gave up a late touchdown last week against Duke, only managed 13 points against SMU and scored just 7 at Florida State.
The Cavs dialed up a solid defensive plan against Lopez last season – Lopez threw two interceptions in a UNC loss to UVA in Chapel Hill. But Lopez is in a completely different situation this season.
Wake Forest’s pass rush could present problems
Wake Forest has recorded 18 sacks through seven games, led by Langston Hardy’s 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. Zach Lohavichan has added 2.5 sacks, while Gabe Kirschke has three.
That could spell trouble for a Virginia offensive line that has surrendered 26 sacks in eight games, an average of 3.25 per contest. The Cavaliers have struggled to protect quarterback Beau Pribula, while Wake Forest’s defense has held opponents to 322.6 total yards and 19.4 points per game.
📊 Wake Forest vs. Virginia Stat Comparison
Wake Forest Team Highlights
- Points For: 37.4 points per game
- Points Against: 19.4 points per game
- Passing Offense: 290.3 yards per game
- Rushing Offense: 155.6 yards per game
- Passing Defense: 230.1 yards per game
- Rushing Defense: 92.4 yards per game
Wake Forest Individual Leaders
- Passing: Gio Lopez – 140-of-207, 1,947 yards, 17 TDs, 1 INT
- Rushing: Ty Clark III – 70 carries, 328 yards, 4 TDs
- Receiving: Carlos Hernandez – 49 catches, 720 yards, 4 TDs
- Tackles: Vincent Firenze – 51 tackles (20 solo)
- Interceptions: Somad Eaddy, Dallas Afalava – 1 interception each
- Scoring: Connor Calvert – 58 points (10-of-11 FGs, 28-of-28 PATs)
Virginia Team Highlights
- Points For: 28.3 points per game
- Points Against: 19.6 points per game
- Passing Offense: 199.3 passing yards per game
- Rushing Offense: 161.6 rushing yards per game
- Passing Defense: 184.8 passing yards per game
- Rushing Defense: 141.9 rushing yards per game
Virginia Individual Leaders
- Passing: Beau Pribula – 119-of-183, 1,369 yards, 13 TDs, 2 INTs
- Rushing: Jekail Middlebrook – 105 carries, 513 yards, 4 TDs
- Receiving: Da’Shawn Martin – 17 catches, 247 yards, 5 TDs
- Tackles: Jacobie Henderson – 41 tackles (21 solo)
- Interceptions: Brandyn Hillman – 3 interceptions
- Scoring: Will Bettridge – 51 points (8-of-11 FGs, 27-of-27 PATs)
The Numbers Game
- Mr. All-Purpose: Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez ranks second in the ACC in total offense, recording 1,947 passing yards and 254 rush yards – an average of 314.4 yards of total offense per contest.
- Get him the ball: Wake’s Carlos Hernandez ranks third in the ACC in receiving yards. Hernandez has made 49 catches for 720 yards and four touchdowns. He’s one of three receivers to average better than 100 yards per game (102.9).
- Flag on the play: For all of its impressive numbers on offense, Wake Forest is one of the most penalized teams in the ACC, averaging 84.1 penalty yards per game. Virginia, meanwhile, is the second-least penalized team (46.9 penalty yards per contest).
- Third-down success – or not: Wake Forest is 43-of-88 on third-down conversion attempts (48.9 percent), third-best in the ACC. Virginia is 16th, converting just 32.4 percent of the time (35-of-108).
- Give me that: Virginia has intercepted eight passes thus far, with one pick-six. Wake Forest only has two interceptions.
- PAT perfection: Both Wake Forest and Virginia have made 28-of-28 extra points.
- Seeing red (zone): Wake Forest has scored on 31 of 33 red-zone possessions (93.9 percent), compared with Virginia’s 24-of-31 performance (77.4 percent).
- Grounded: Wake Forest allows just 92.4 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per attempt. Virginia averages 161.6 rushing yards, making the Cavaliers’ ground game an interesting test for the Demon Deacons.
📚 Series History
- Virginia leads the all-time series 35-18
- Last meeting: Wake Forest 16, Virginia 9 (Nov. 8, 2025 in Charlottesville)
- First meeting: Virginia 46, Wake Forest 4 (Dec. 9, 1889 in Richmond)
- Wake Forest and Virginia only played twice – in 1889 and 1911 – before coming together as ACC partners in the 1950s. The series was played nearly every year from 1955-2003 before the ACC went to divisions and matchups became less frequent.
- Wake Forest has won six of the last seven meetings dating back to 2008. The lone loss was in 2024, a 31-30 decision in Winston-Salem.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- Wake Forest Football Schedule
- ACC Standings
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
