Deacs No. 9 in First CFB Playoff Rankings of Season
11/2/2021 7:00:00 PM | Football
Wake Forest achieved its highest College Football Playoff Poll ranking in program history and is ranked in the poll for the first time since 2019.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- After climbing into the top 10 of the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Poll this week, the Wake Forest football team achieved its highest ranking in the College Football Playoff Poll in school history when it was released Tuesday night.
The Demon Deacons were tabbed as the No. 9 this week according to the CFP selection committee. Individuals with experience as coaches, student-athletes, college administrators and journalists, along with sitting athletics directors, comprise the selection committee.
Wake Forest is 8-0 for the first time in program history. Additionally, the Demon Deacons are off to their first 5-0 start in conference play for the first time in program history. After scoring 45 points in Saturday's win over Duke, Wake Forest remains the only team in the nation that has scored at least 35 points in every game this season.
Since the start of the 2018 season, Wake Forest has been one of the best in all of FBS at finding the scoreboard first. The Deacs have scored first in 33 of their last 43 games or 77 percent.
Wake Forest has the best turnover margin in the Power-5 (plus-10) and ranks tied for fourth in the FBS in that category. In addition to turning the ball over the Demon Deacon defense also see themselves inside of the top-25 in a number of other categories: Sacks (13th, 3.00 per game), TFL/G (15th, 6.8), Turnovers Gained (10th, 17), Fumble Recovered (7th, 9) and 4th Down Conversion Pct. Defense (18th, .333%).
Since the start of the 2017 season, the Deacs have tied for the second-most wins in the conference just trailing Clemson.
Wake Forest has now won four-straight games as a ranked team for the first time since 1944.
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2021:
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No. 24 Wake Forest Defeated Louisville, 37-34 on Oct. 2
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No. 19 Wake Forest Defeated Syracuse, 41-37 (OT) on Oct. 9
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No. 16 Wake Forest Defeated Army, 70-56 on Oct. 23
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No. 13 Wake Forest Defeated Duke, 45-7 on Oct. 30
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1944:
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No. 17 Wake Forest Defeated Maryland, 39-0 on Oct. 9
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No. 18 Wake Forest Defeated NC State, 21-7 on Oct. 23
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No. 17 Wake Forest Defeated Miami, 27-0 on Oct. 30
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No. 12 Wake Forest Defeated Clemson, 13-7 on Nov. 30
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2021 Game Recaps
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Week 1: Deacons Down Old Dominion in Season Opener, 42-10
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Wake Forest put up six touchdowns en route to a 32-point victory over the Monarchs on Opening Night.
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Week 2: Wake Forest Defeats Norfolk State at Truist Field, 41-16
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The Demon Deacons relied on a balanced offensive attack to control the non-conference matchup with the Spartans, notching 252 yards through the air and 161 yards on the ground.
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Week 3: Wake Forest Tops Florida State in ACC Opener, 35-14
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The Demon Deacons opened the 2021 conference slate in front of an electric atmosphere inside Truist Field that included the largest student crowd since 2006 while forcing a Clawson era record six turnovers.
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Week 4: Wake Forest Earned Road Victory at Virginia, 37-17
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The Demon Deacons offense proved again to be one of the most potent in the country as they scored on their first seven possessions of the game before Wake Forest registered its first punt of the game with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter and a 20-point lead.
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Week 5: Wake Forest Captured Thrilling ACC Victory Over Louisville, 37-34
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Nick Sciba's fourth quarter field goal proved to be the difference for the Demon Deacons in a back-and-forth contest between ACC Atlantic Division rivals.
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Week 6: Resilience, Team Effort Lead Deacs to Road Overtime Win at Syracuse, 40–37
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Redshirt sophomore wide receiver A.T. Perry secured the sixth victory for the Demon Deacons this season with an overtime touchdown catch.
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Week 8: Explosive Offensive Performance Leads Deacs to Road Win at Army, 70-56
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Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman finished the day with a program record tying five touchdown passes and a career-best 458 yards on 23-of-29 passing.
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Record crowd and an exciting atmosphere surrounded a great performance by the Demon Deacons in all three phases of the game.
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The Demon Deacons continue their three-game stretch against Big 4 opponents, traveling to North Carolina for a non-conference matchup against the Tar Heels on Nov. 6 at 12 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Deacons finish up their home schedule next Saturday, Nov. 13 as college football's longest continuously-played rivalry (since 1910) is renewed. The Demon Deacons have downed the Wolfpack in three of the past four years and an exciting atmosphere awaits as Coach Clawson and the football program will honor its seniors that day as well.
Individual game tickets are still available here.
