Location: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium — Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Kickoff: Thursday, September 3 at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): Wake Forest -24.5
Over/under: 48.5

The Setup

Wake Forest and Akron have never met, and this is the Demon Deacons’ first game against a MAC opponent since Northern Illinois in 2002. The new series arrives after a 24-year conference gap.

What I’m Watching

The biggest test is whether Akron can move the ball without living in third-and-long. The Zips ranked No. 123 nationally at 5.1 yards per play last season, while Wake Forest’s defense ranked No. 4 and allowed only 4.9. Akron returns six offensive starters; Wake brings back eight defensive starters, so the more familiar unit owns the early advantage.

Personnel Snapshot

Akron: Joe Moorhead enters Year 5 with nine returning starters—six on offense and three on defense. The offense averaged 353.5 yards and 22.3 points per game last season.

Akron quarterback: North Texas transfer Reese Poffenbarger is expected to start after throwing only 10 passes last season.

Wake Forest: Jake Dickert enters Year 2 after winning nine games, the most ever by a first-year Wake Forest coach. Ten starters return, including eight from a defense that allowed 328.5 yards and 21.9 points per game.

Wake Forest quarterback: Gio Lopez is projected to start after throwing for 1,747 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions at North Carolina.

Three Quick Analysis Points

1. The opener trend: Wake Forest is 10-1 in season openers since 2015 and has won six straight. Akron is fighting both a heavy favorite and an opening-day routine that has failed once in 11 tries.

2. The defensive continuity: Wake returns eight defensive starters. That matters against an Akron quarterback entering with almost no recent passing sample.

3. The field-position test: Akron needs easy offense—a short field, a quarterback run or a quick pass that breaks a tackle. Full-field drives favor Wake’s experienced defense.

How the Game Is Decided

If Wake Forest forces obvious passing downs, its advantage should grow throughout the night. Akron’s upset path begins with first-down efficiency, no giveaways and at least one short-field opportunity.

Prediction

I make my final predictions on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook at @uthinkuknowsports.

 

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.