College Football 2021: Top 3 under-the-radar games to watch in Week 8

3. (16) Wake Forest at Army

Wake Forest travels to West Point to take on the Black Knights Saturday afternoon. The two programs have a history of matchups with the Demon Deacons leading the series 11-5. The last matchup was in 2016, an Army victory.

Wake Forest is a surprising 6-0 on the year and the lone undefeated team in the ACC. Quarterback Sam Hartman leads the Deacons’ offensive attack, completing 63 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns to only three interceptions. They also mix in the run game effectively and are the 10th best scoring offense in the country.

Army is 4-2 on the season but is on a two-game losing streak, falling to Ball State and Wisconsin. The Black Knights almost exclusively run the ball, passing the ball less than 10 percent of the time. Their very effective rushing attack is ranked second in the nation in rushing yards per game.

This matchup will be tricky for the Deacons. They are not very good at stopping the run game, ranked 90th in rushing yards allowed per game, playing right into Army’s strength. Army’s defense is no slouch either, particularly against the run. The game will likely come down to Hartman and how well he plays.

While a loss would not hurt Wake Forest in their quest for an ACC title, it would take some luster off their season so far. Army has not beaten a ranked team since 2018 when they defeated Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl. This should be an interesting contest.