A Duke's Mayo Bowl hangover for NC State or a statement road win for Jake Dickert's crew — this ACC tilt in Raleigh has real early-season stakes for both sides.
Bush’s Picks
WAKENCSU
WAKENCSU
OverUnder
Best BetNC State
NC State's biggest asset is continuity — CJ Bailey enters his third year in the same system, and that kind of quarterback stability usually shows up in close games. Wake Forest's defense is legitimately improved, but asking a new starting quarterback to win on the road against that front is a tougher lift than banking on Bailey at home.
Wake Forest
+9-4 in 2025, capped by a bowl win
+Defense jumped from 118th to 26th nationally
+Langston Hardy led ACC with 17 TFLs
−New starting QB Gio Lopez still integrating
−Road game against a system with continuity
−Unproven whether 2025 leap sustains into Year 2
NC State
+CJ Bailey enters 3rd year as starter
+3,105 yards, 25 TDs for Bailey in 2025
+Favorable 2026 schedule per FPI
−Only 2 returning offensive line starters
−Losing top 5 pass-catchers from last season
−Athlon projects a 9th-place ACC finish
The quarterback stories alone make this one worth circling. NC State hands the ball to CJ Bailey for a third straight season, and Dave Doeren isn't shy about the hype — he's called Bailey a candidate to be the best quarterback in the country after a 2025 that produced 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns. Wake Forest counters with a new arm of its own in Gio Lopez, the UNC transfer brought in to finally give the Demon Deacons the stability at the position that was missing a year ago.
Continuity is the separator here, at least on paper. Bailey's been running the same offense for 3 years, which is exactly the kind of head start Doeren wants at this point in the schedule. NC State's issue is what's around him — only 2 returning starters up front and the program's top 5 pass-catchers from last season are gone, so however sharp Bailey looks, he's doing it behind a rebuilt line and with new targets.
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WAKE Wake Forest
NCSU NC State
Wake Forest's counter is its defense, and it's not a small one. Jake Dickert's group went from 118th in the country in total defense to 26th in his debut season, capped by a 43-29 win over Mississippi State in the Duke's Mayo Bowl that sealed a 9-4 finish. Langston Hardy led the ACC with 17 tackles for loss, and All-ACC defensive back Davaughn Patterson is back to anchor the secondary — exactly the kind of pressure that can make life miserable for a patchwork offensive line.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Oct 2?vs Stanford—
Sep 25?@ Louisville—
Sep 18?vs Miami—
Sep 12?@ Purdue—
Sep 3?vs Akron—
NC State Wolfpack
Oct 2?vs Louisville—
Sep 25?vs App State—
Sep 19?@ Vanderbilt—
Sep 11?vs Richmond—
Aug 29?@ Virginia—
Recent form.
That's the tension of this matchup: NC State's proven system versus Wake Forest's proven defense, with both teams having to answer real questions before kickoff. Athlon picked the Wolfpack to finish 9th in the ACC despite a favorable schedule, which tells you the outside world isn't fully buying the Bailey hype yet. Wake Forest, meanwhile, is trying to prove its 2025 breakthrough under Dickert wasn't a one-year mirage — and doing it with a first-year starter under center raises its own doubts.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
NC State Wolfpack
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Neither team is walking in with a settled roster, which is part of what makes this an interesting early-season measuring stick rather than a mismatch. NC State wants this to be the year the Bailey investment pays off in the standings; Wake Forest wants to show last year's leap was real. Whoever answers their questions faster in October probably wins this one.
