Week 1 didn’t really get any clarity from Week 0, so we’ve gotta start from the ground up. Akron returns 16 starters and 59 players from a 5-7 team that went 3-1 over its last four games to close the season. Wake Forest, on the other hand, returns only eight starters, and added 22 transfers after Jake Dickert’s 9-4 debut season as HC. Their season ended with a most glorious 43-29 Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Mississippi State. Rob Ezell and Scottie Hazelton are among those who remain on staff, and new quarterback Gio Lopez already knows Ezell’s offense. On the other sideline, HC Joe Moorhead enters Year 5 with his deepest Akron roster, supplemented by 32 transfers among 48 newcomers. Below is my preview, prediction, and pick for today’s college football game between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Akron Zips.
Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.
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Wake Forest vs. Akron prediction, preview
You’d imagine Moorhead’s opening script would orbit Jordan Gant, the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2008. Gant produced 1,032 yards at 4.8 YPC in 2025. Marcel Williams and Kyan Mason combined for 1,122 receiving yards last year, and they remain 1A and 1B in Akron’s passing gameplan. Reese Poffenbarger, Akron’s new QB transfer, chucked 3,603 yards and 36 touchdowns at Albany in 2023—we know he can deal when given time. However, he’ss attempted only 14 passes across two seasons since. Akron’s offense was productive last year, but they converted just 31% of third downs. Clutch they were not. A leap forward in production and talent for both Jordan Gant and Reese Poffenbarger would be just the ticket for a sorry conversion rate like that.
Robby Ashford and Demond Claiborne still left for greener pastures even after driving Wake’s electrifying close to the ’25 season. Gio Lopez’s arrival, as far as a transfer goes, should be seamless with regards to the playbook. He played for Ezell at South Alabama before transferring out. He completed 65.1% for 1,747 yards at North Carolina last season. His 2024 line (2,557 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, five interceptions, and 465 rushing yards) is part of the price behind this big spread. Ty Clark III replaces Claiborne on the depth chart; last season, Clark III racked up 164 scrimmage yards against Mississippi State. Carlos Hernandez is the air-raid answer on offense and special teams: he ripped off 611 receiving yards at 15.3 YPC last year, and added a rather thrilling 88-yard punt-return touchdown to his tape. Akron’s got a leaky defense, too: they allowed 27.4 ppg, 384.4 ypg, 5.8 yards per snap, and 7.7 YPA in 2025. On paper, Lopez is set up to be a spectacle tonight.
However, the protection for Gio Lopez is where I’m focusing my eyes and anxiety both on this one. Last year, Wake allowed only 17 sacks across 13 games, then had to cobble together most of a new line in the offseason. Projected right guard Ryan Berger started seven times at Oregon State; center Will Way played 11 games for Weber State. Redshirt freshman Aidan Martin is slated at right tackle. Lopez’s legs let Ezell utilize play-action and boots when Akron floods the box. Cyrus Durham, Akron’s leader with 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, is still a demon in his own right. But the Deacs are explosive: Wake created 27 gains of at least 30 yards last season.
Akron vs. Wake Forest pick, best bet
The likely game script leans heavy to the run for Akron, and heavily-advantageous towards Wake’s air attack. Akron will try to control the first half via Gant’s ground-and-pound first-down conversions. I expect them to sustain a few drives, but not many, so long as they retain the football-discipline which yielded last year’s just-fine +3 turnover margin. Wake, conversely, finished -6 in turnovers. Akron and Poffenbarger shouldn’t have too much trouble keeping the ball out of the opponents’ hands; Wake’s defense intercepted only four passes in 2025. Turnover-creation was a real problem for the Demon Deacons. It still may well be.
But I think the real meat of the game will come after halftime, with near-90-degree heat testing both teams’ competitive stamina, stretching Akron’s depth and keeping Wake manically rotating its front. I like the starters Wake retained to handle business at home and keep their team in better field position than Akron should have. Sure, Poffenbarger should have a good game. But, as I said, Lopez is set up to explode in his Demon Deacon debut.
My model’s got this game right at 38-10, just a touch higher than the total and the spread, and just enough to get a bit more confident laying the market’s fat Week 1 number. I’m bullish that Wake really should win the early downs on both sides if Lopez, Hernandez, and Clark III can keep the chains moving. Hernandez also gives us a decent shot at a third-phase scoring opportunity, what with that special teams voltage he flashed last year. As such, I’m fine to lay -24.5 on the Deacs, though Wake’s rebuilt line keeps me from chasing anything higher.
Best bet: Wake Forest -24.5 (-110), playable to -24.5.
Projected score: Wake Forest 38, Akron 10.
Best Bet: Wake Forest -24.5 (-110) vs. Akron
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