#5 Wake Forest
4-1 in ACC play, T-2nd in the ACC
Trophy case
1 award in 2026 · 2 in all seasons · Every award winner- Moving In ×1
| Award | Week | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Moving In | Week 4 | Biggest rank rise of the week |
2026 season recap (through week 8)
Wake Forest (ACC) is ranked 5th in The Davis Rankings after week 8 of 2026, with a record of 6-1 and a score of 84.9 out of 100. That is up 2 from week 7. That puts it in the Winning tier (ranks 1-25). Its strongest factor is recent results (100.0 out of 100). Its weakest is opponent record today (67.3 out of 100).
The best win by current ranking came in week 4, 30-27 over T-48 Louisville on the road. The toughest result to explain is the week 3 loss, 33-20 to #2 Miami at home.
Wake Forest has won its last 4 games in a row. On the road it is 4-0. The average margin is +18.0 points per game, with a biggest win of 54 points. 2 of 7 games were decided by a touchdown or less.
Wake Forest is 14th in the AP poll (9 spots lower than the Davis Rankings); 15th in the Coaches poll (10 spots lower than the Davis Rankings).
Next up is T-96 Virginia in week 9, at home. The toughest game left on the schedule by current rank is week 11 against T-11 SMU. 1 of the 5 games left are against teams currently in the top 25.
Schedule
| Week | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akron (home) | W 38-16 |
| 2 | Purdue (away) | W 38-36 |
| 3 | Miami (home, conference game) | L 20-33 |
| 4 | Louisville (away, conference game) | W 30-27 |
| 5 | Stanford (home, conference game) | W 57-3 |
| 6 | NC State (away, conference game) | W 38-14 |
| 7 | California (away, conference game) | W 41-7 |
Upcoming games
| Week | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Virginia (home, conference game) | (ESPN2) |
| 10 | Merrimack (home) | (ACC Network) |
| 11 | SMU (away, conference game) | Sat Nov 14, time TBD |
| 12 | Georgia Tech (away, conference game) | Sat Nov 21, time TBD |
| 13 | Duke (home, conference game) | Sat Nov 28, time TBD |
Ranking history 2026
Now #5, Winning (week 8). Best #1 (week 2). Lowest #69 (week 3). Higher on the chart is a better rank. The shaded bands are rank tiers, with each tier's sticker at its left. A poll is a top 25, so its line breaks in the weeks the team is not in it. The poll lines are drawn a little apart so equal ranks do not hide each other: point at a week for the exact ranks.
Week 8 TDR #5 (84.9, 6-1) Winning AP #14 Coaches #15
Week 1 TDR #12 (91.5, 1-0) AP NR Coaches NR
Week 2 TDR #1 (95.1, 2-0) AP NR Coaches NR
Week 3 TDR #69 (56.4, 2-1) Character Building AP NR Coaches NR
Week 4 TDR #24 (77.5, 3-1) Winning AP NR Coaches NR
Week 5 TDR #18 (80.5, 4-1) Winning AP NR Coaches NR
Week 6 TDR #11 (83.2, 5-1) Winning AP #21 Coaches #23
Week 7 TDR #7 (84.9, 6-1) Winning AP #17 Coaches #19
Week 8 TDR #5 (84.9, 6-1) Winning AP #14 Coaches #15
Week by week
| Week | TDR | Score | Record | Tier | AP | Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #12 | 91.5 | 1-0 | - | NR | NR |
| 2 | #1 | 95.1 | 2-0 | - | NR | NR |
| 3 | #69 | 56.4 | 2-1 | Character Building | NR | NR |
| 4 | #24 | 77.5 | 3-1 | Winning | NR | NR |
| 5 | #18 | 80.5 | 4-1 | Winning | NR | NR |
| 6 | #11 | 83.2 | 5-1 | Winning | #21 | #23 |
| 7 | #7 | 84.9 | 6-1 | Winning | #17 | #19 |
| 8 | #5 | 84.9 | 6-1 | Winning | #14 | #15 |
Score breakdown
Each factor is scored 0–100, then weighted into the composite score. Full methodology & weights
| Factor | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|
| win/loss record | 85.7 |
| recent results | 100.0 |
| road-win bonus | 83.3 |
| opponent record at game time | 69.0 |
| opponent record today | 67.3 |
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