Wake Forest football has proven itself with win over NC State

For just the third time ever, Wake Forest football has had a season with nine or more wins. How did they accomplish this goal? By downing 16th-ranked NC State, 45-42 in Winston-Salem.

With Wake currently sitting at 12th in the College Football Playoff rankings — and with Oklahoma (8th) and Texas A&M (11th) both losing Saturday — they are practically guaranteed to break the top-10 threshold once again on Tuesday night.

Last week, I had mentioned how Wake’s heartbreaking 58-55 loss at UNC had the committee firing off a “warning shot“, as they only dropped the Demon Deacons three spots. My ultimate point was that the Deacs still had their playoff window cracked open, but the NC State was going to be the deciding variable.

When entering the game, the rules were simple: if you win, your playoff chances are still alive, and you’ll hop back into the top 10 like you never even left. However, if you lose, you’re set to plummet, and you will never receive an ounce of the committee’s hype for the remainder of the season.

But the Demon Deacons went in and did just what they were supposed to as far as the committee was concerned. The spread was ever-so-slightly in their favor, and the game was expected to be quite high-scoring. And, as previously established, that is exactly what we saw.

Now, what does the win itself mean for Wake? Well, outside of rivalry bragging rights, it means virtually nothing when standing alone. However, with two more wins following it, it would lock the Deacs in as the Atlantic division’s representative for the ACC title game. A win there would tie the bow on a 12-1 record, subsequently bringing in a respectable playoff argument.

This entire time, people were laughing at Wake Forest and going as far as to say that they shouldn’t make the bracket even if they were unbeaten. The committee, though, appears to feel differently.

Many folks felt that Wake’s slate was way too weak to garner any true consideration, but beating a top-16 rival goes a long way in checking that box. For reference, while the Demon Deacons only have one win over a currently-ranked opponent (NC State, 16th), No. 2 Alabama only has one as well, and it’s over Ole Miss (15th).

Now yes, I know that Bama beat Florida when they were ranked, and Ole Miss was higher than 15th at the time of their meeting with the Tide. But to be honest, I don’t really care.

Today, the Gators now have five losses, and the Rebels have two, the latter of which matched the number in the Wolfpack’s loss column before Saturday; that means something (especially after a performance like Florida’s against the FCS’s Samford).

Don’t get me wrong, if Wake didn’t control their own destiny before their loss, then they certainly don’t now. But, I think most can agree that even the higher-placed names in the polls have seen their fair shares of struggles. If they tumble some while the Deacs keep winning, then the ACC might have a dog in the playoff fight after all.