Wake Forest is the only ACC team that's never appeared in the College Football Playoff rankings. Not only could that change in 2019, but the Demon Deacons also have a chance of climbing the playoff rankings and entering the real playoff discussion.
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With their Week 3 win over North Carolina, Wake Forest improved to 3-0, their third 3-0 start since 2016 after failing to start 3-0 in any of the previous seven seasons. They're No. 26 in the Week 4 rankings and have two top-40 wins (No. 27 Utah State and No. 32 North Carolina. And with an upcoming friendly schedule, they could be 9-0 entering their Week 12 trip to Clemson, whom they haven't defeated since 2008.
Wake Forest is a heavy favorite over Elon in Week 4 (-27.5) and, as of now, should be favorites in each of the next five games before visiting Death Valley on No. 16. Eleven days before that Clemson trip, and three days after they host NC State in the eighth game of the season, the first College Football Playoff rankings are scheduled for release.
If Wake Forest is 8-0 on Nov. 5, they will be ranked for the first time in program history and join the 67 other active FBS programs who've appeared in the rankings since 2014. If Wake Forest shocks Clemson on Nov. 16 — like Pittsburgh did in 2016 and other ACC foes have threatened to do during the Tigers' recent run — they'll control the Atlantic Division and enter the real playoff discussion.
Don't bet the farm, though don't dismiss the possibility of a good Wake Forest team running the table into November.
