Duke rolls into late November defending an ACC title with a defense that can carry it. Wake Forest is banking on a reloaded offensive line to keep its own breakout going.
Bush’s Picks
DUKEWAKE
DUKEWAKE
OverUnder
Best BetDuke
Duke's defense and the trenches on both sides of the ball give it a floor that Wake Forest's rebuilt roster doesn't have right now. The Blue Devils lost their quarterback and top receiver to the portal, but a program that just won its first ACC title since 1989 still has more proven pieces in place than a Wake Forest squad replacing 4 starting linemen and its lead back.
Duke
+Won first ACC title since 1989 in 2025
+Defense and trenches project as team strength
+Manny Diaz has been successful in two seasons
−Lost QB Darian Mensah and WR Cooper Barkate to Miami
−Lost top safety Terry Moore
−Major questions on offense heading into 2026
Wake Forest
+Jake Dickert delivered a 9-win debut season
+Won Duke's Mayo Bowl over Mississippi State
+Added experienced OL transfers to reload the trenches
−Lost All-ACC running back Demond Claiborne
−Losing all 4 starting offensive linemen
−New transfers need to gel fast in key roles
No starting pitchers here, obviously, but the roster turnover on both sides makes this one of the more interesting late-season ACC tests on the board. Duke won its first ACC Championship since 1989 last season, and Manny Diaz has the program pointed in the right direction — but this game arrives with the Blue Devils working through real questions on offense.
Duke lost quarterback Darian Mensah and top wideout Cooper Barkate to Miami in a late-offseason transfer surprise, and its best safety, Terry Moore, is also gone. Diaz went to the portal to patch the offensive line, adding Braden Miller and Coastal Carolina transfer Nick Del Grande, but the identity of this Duke team still runs through its defense and its trenches on both sides of the ball.
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DUKE Duke
WAKE Wake Forest
Wake Forest's story is almost a mirror image. Jake Dickert's first season in Winston-Salem produced 9 wins and a Duke's Mayo Bowl victory over Mississippi State — one of just 4 nine-win seasons in school history. But the Deacons lost All-ACC running back Demond Claiborne and their top 4 offensive linemen off a group that ranked 21st nationally in sacks allowed. LSU tackle Ethan Calloway and a handful of other transfers are being counted on to hold up immediately.
Duke Blue Devils
Nov 20?vs Clemson—
Nov 13?@ Miami—
Nov 6?@ NC State—
Oct 30?vs Boston College—
Oct 23?@ Virginia—
Oct 16?vs North Carolina—
Oct 9?@ Georgia Tech—
Sep 26?vs William & Mary—
Sep 19?vs Stanford—
Sep 12?@ Illinois—
Sep 5?vs Tulane—
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Nov 20?@ Georgia Tech—
Nov 13?@ SMU—
Nov 7?vs Merrimack—
Oct 30?vs Virginia—
Oct 16?@ California—
Oct 9?@ NC State—
Oct 2?vs Stanford—
Sep 25?@ Louisville—
Sep 18?vs Miami—
Sep 12?@ Purdue—
Sep 3?vs Akron—
Recent form.
This series has history worth knowing: Duke leads the all-time meetings 62-41-2, dating back to their very first game in 1889. There's no rivalry trophy on the line like Duke-UNC's Victory Bell, but neither program is treating this as a throwaway — both are chasing bowl positioning and, in Duke's case, another ACC title push.
Duke Blue Devils
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The swing factor is which rebuilt group holds up better under the lights. Duke's defense gives it a floor even while the offense finds its footing without Mensah and Barkate. Wake Forest needs its new-look line to protect the passing game now that the ground attack lost its workhorse. Whoever wins that trench battle probably wins the game.
