Wake Forest

Located in Winston Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a prestigious academic private school with a student body of less than 5,000. The 2006 season was a marvelous one for the Demon Deacons. Wake won the ACC championship and earned a spot in the Bowl Championship Series. Their appearance in the Orange Bowl established Wake as the smallest school to play in the BCS.

The Demon Deacons return 14 starters from their conference championship team. Led by sophomore QB Riley Skinner, Wake should be in a good position to challenge for another title. The schedule is fairly difficult, but they avoid having to play Virginia Tech or Miami. The opener versus Boston College will be a good indication of where this year’s squad might wind up. The loss of LB Jon Abbate to the NFL, leaves a void in a stout defense. The Demon Deacons allowed only 15.4 points per game. Wake has plenty of players capable of providing the production Abbate had in ’06. While a return to the conference championship is unlikely, there is no doubt the Demon Deacons will be headed to a bowl game.

Sep 1 - at Boston College, 3:30 PM

Sep 8 - vs. Nebraska, 12:00 PM

Sep 15 - vs. Army, 3:30 PM

Sep 22 - vs. Maryland, TBA

Sep 29 - Open

Oct 6 - at Duke, TBA

Oct 11 - vs. Florida State, 7:30 PM

Oct 20 - at Navy, 1:00 PM

Oct 27 - vs. North Carolina, TBA

Nov 3 - at Virginia, TBA

Nov 10 - at Clemson, TBA

Nov 17 - vs. NC State, TBA

Nov 24 - at Vanderbilt, TBA

Heading into his seventh season at the helm in Winston Salem, Jim Grobe has performed wonders at a school not known for their football. An ACC championship and 11-3 record earned Grobe ACC Coach of the Year honors. As long as Grobe is in charge the Demon Deacons will continue to cause havoc in conference play.

As mentioned before, the loss of Jon Abbate must be accounted for. Look for linebackers Aaron Curry and Stanley Arnoux to step up and lead the charge. In the secondary, cornerback Alphonso Smith is a speedy cover guy who can cause nightmares for opposing quarterbacks. Offensively, QB Riley Skinner is not flashy but manages the game with poise. The return of RB Micah Andrews from injury should provide even more balance to the offense.