ACC Playoff Threat?
In the past decade, Clemson has taken the ACC by storm with 10 bowl game appearances, seven conference titles, and two national titles. This year under a new quarterback and a young team Clemson finds itself in a situation they haven’t seen since the pre-Deshaun Watson era. Despite the ACC struggling to compensate nationally the Wake Forest Deacons have put themselves on top of the conference with a stunning 6-0 record. However, questions have arisen among fans as Wake Forest finds itself ranked at 59 in the strength of schedule
Eye Test
While simply objectivity has carried teams like Iowa and Michigan State into the top ten this season the eye test has told us a lot about contenders for the playoffs. Their competition has consisted of teams such as Old Dominion, Norfolk State, Florida State, Virginia, Louisville, and Syracuse. Among this competition, they have won the games by an average of 17 points. With their past two games being thrillers decided by three points the cracks in Wake Forest seem to be appearing.
Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton
Offense
In every game this season it seems the Deacons have recorded at least 35 points behind the arm of Sam Hartman. Under Wake Forest’s adaptation to an RPO offense, Hartman has 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions on top of over 1,500 yards on the season. Hartman hasn’t broken through as one of the best QBs in the country but has been able to efficiently do his job providing a spark for this Wake Forest offense. With an offense that ranks 59th in the nation in total rush yards, questions continue to spiral around the loss of Kenneth Walker last season. Altogether, this team has found a groove offensively ranking at 39th in the nation in total offense they’re above teams like Michigan, Georgia, and a highly regarded Western Michigan team.
Defense
Photo Credit: Andrew Dye
On the other side of the ball, the Deacons are led by Caelen Carson in pass defense who has two interceptions on the year. Considering the youth of the Deacons they have found a way to rank in the top 30 in interceptions. In the front seven, they haven’t been able to stunt the run ranking 91st in rush defense Wake Forest has seemed vulnerable on the ground. That makes this week’s matchup against an Army team that runs 91% of the time. If the Deacons hope to make a playoff run they need to modernize defensively and still manage to efficiently stop the run in their 4-2-5 defense.
All things considered, Wake Forest has taken an elite step forward in their quest to win the ACC and pose a national threat. The struggles on defense indicate the early process of a rebuild and while the future is bright Wake Forest is yet to encounter a team when the lights shine the brightest. I believe they may lack the national power but the tremendous step forward into a regional power should elevate the hopes of the Deacon fan base.