From a CBS Sports.com ACC preview...

Wake Forest -- 5.5 (Over): What will happen when Wake Forest travels up Highway 421 to Boone, North Carolina, to take on Appalachian State at The Rock? That's where the Demon Deacons' season hinges in my mind. If Wake, like Miami a year ago, can step into a rowdy stadium, quickly establish an advantage and get out with a win then I like Dave Clawson's chances of reaching a bowl game for the second straight season. A loss to the Mountaineers makes the math a little tougher, but the Demon Deacons will have a chance to punch their postseason ticket at home against in-state rivals with NC State and Duke visiting BB&T Field in the last two weeks of the season.

The full article - http://www.cbssports.com/college-footba ... acc-teams/

So here is an interesting way to analyze the Wake game from an uninformed perspective.

Historically Wake is 14-7-1 vs App. Not knowing that all previous games were played in Winston-Salem. Non-informed analyst predicts Wake has a 66% chance to win game.

(submitted on an iPhone)

If I've heard correctly, ACC refs will be officiating the game. That fact aside, I like our chances.

WataugaMan wrote:If I've heard correctly, ACC refs will be officiating the game. That fact aside, I like our chances.

If it's Ron Cherry then you are correct!

I hope we give wake the business.

This has the potential of becoming our primary rivalry game.

I'd say it's the most important game of the season for both teams. We've been yaking for years and now we got it.

appstate77 wrote:This has the potential of becoming our primary rivalry game.

Yes, if we "let" them win a few, but no if we consistently kick their buttskis. They're no fools.

Saint3333 wrote:I hope we give wake the business.

I saw what you did there. Well played.....!

NewApp wrote:

appstate77 wrote:This has the potential of becoming our primary rivalry game.

Yes, if we "let" them win a few, but no if we consistently kick their buttskis. They're no fools.

You're correct, they aren't fools. Neither will they be pushovers. They'll try to roll us like Miami. They have speed, but not Miami speed. The best-prepared team with the fewest turnovers will win.

asu66 wrote:

NewApp wrote:

appstate77 wrote:This has the potential of becoming our primary rivalry game.

Yes, if we "let" them win a few, but no if we consistently kick their buttskis. They're no fools.

You're correct, they aren't fools. Neither will they be pushovers. They'll try to roll us like Miami. They have speed, but not Miami speed. The best-prepared team with the fewest turnovers will win.

Number of 4/5* recruits in the previous five classes (according to Scout):

Miami: 34
Wake: 1

They'll *try* to roll us like Miami, and we'll try to roll them like Clemson. Neither result is likely IMO. I think your assessment is pretty good - this will be a more even match athletically.

If we're going to compare classes might as well compare Wake and App...also from the Scout site.

Wake:
2014-12 three star, 12 two star.
2015-15 three star, 9 two star.
2016-1 four star, 14 three star, 5 two star,
2017-15 three star, 6 two star

App:
2014-2 three star, 25 two star
2015-2 three star, 16 two star, 4 no rating
2016-4 three star, 19 two star
2017-7 three star, 11 two star

Wake's class rankings from 24/7
14'- 65th
15'- 53rd
16'- 60th
17'- 66th

App's class rankings from 24/7
14'- 86th
15'- 115th
16'- 119th
17'- 105th

Now everyone knows I don't put much stock in the ratings but a lot of people do. What I do pay attention to is the head to head recruiting battles, especially against peer G5 schools and closer by P5's, like a Wake. And last year we went hard, head to head, on six players, with some others where we offered as well. Wake got all six, including the OT flip, an OT steal who had decommitted from Ark St to commit to us before the call from Wake, and an OLB who decommitted from them, came to us, said he was going to commit to us, then recommitted to them the last weekend, and that was one at the top of our LB chart. One of the reasons that OLB was thin last year.

Are they the team Miami was? No. But I'm not going to kid myself and say that we are so close that it's something to laugh at when some site gives them a better than 50% chance to win. Clawson has played us tough in the past and he has been taking the Satt route of trying to build the right way. He's taken his lumps and it started to pay off last year. 3-9 the first two years to 7-6 and a bowl win last year.

We better be focused and motivated because they will be. It will happen eventually but no one wants to be the first P5 to loose in Boone, especially them.

asu66 wrote:

NewApp wrote:

appstate77 wrote:This has the potential of becoming our primary rivalry game.

Yes, if we "let" them win a few, but no if we consistently kick their buttskis. They're no fools.

You're correct, they aren't fools. Neither will they be pushovers. They'll try to roll us like Miami. They have speed, but not Miami speed. The best-prepared team with the fewest turnovers will win.

I agree because we are pretty much evenly matched otherwise.

firemoose wrote:If we're going to compare classes might as well compare Wake and App...also from the Scout site.

Wake:
2014-12 three star, 12 two star.
2015-15 three star, 9 two star.
2016-1 four star, 14 three star, 5 two star,
2017-15 three star, 6 two star

App:
2014-2 three star, 25 two star
2015-2 three star, 16 two star, 4 no rating
2016-4 three star, 19 two star
2017-7 three star, 11 two star

Wake's class rankings from 24/7
14'- 65th
15'- 53rd
16'- 60th
17'- 66th

App's class rankings from 24/7
14'- 86th
15'- 115th
16'- 119th
17'- 105th

Now everyone knows I don't put much stock in the ratings but a lot of people do. What I do pay attention to is the head to head recruiting battles, especially against peer G5 schools and closer by P5's, like a Wake. And last year we went hard, head to head, on six players, with some others where we offered as well. Wake got all six, including the OT flip, an OT steal who had decommitted from Ark St to commit to us before the call from Wake, and an OLB who decommitted from them, came to us, said he was going to commit to us, then recommitted to them the last weekend, and that was one at the top of our LB chart. One of the reasons that OLB was thin last year.

Are they the team Miami was? No. But I'm not going to kid myself and say that we are so close that it's something to laugh at when some site gives them a better than 50% chance to win. Clawson has played us tough in the past and he has been taking the Satt route of trying to build the right way. He's taken his lumps and it started to pay off last year. 3-9 the first two years to 7-6 and a bowl win last year.

We better be focused and motivated because they will be. It will happen eventually but no one wants to be the first P5 to loose in Boone, especially them.

Now you have done and gone and got me scared.

Why do some folks think it's a gimme? It'll be a great game I hope, and if we win it'll be worthy of some students rushing the field. I might join them.

I don't remember seeing many (any?) people saying Wake is a gimme. A year ago I did think we might beat them handily. But as Moose said, they were significantly improved last year and beat a good Temple team in their bowl game. It will be a tough one.

EastHallApp wrote:I don't remember seeing many (any?) people saying Wake is a gimme. A year ago I did think we might beat them handily. But as Moose said, they were significantly improved last year and beat a good Temple team in their bowl game. It will be a tough one.

Yeah it's definitely not an issue on the forum. I'm talking folks I speak with in the real world.

I live near Winston-Salem and am surrounded by WF fans so this game ranks very high for personal reasons. As the season approaches, most will realize that WF will bring a strong team to Boone and we will have to play well in all facets to win.

WF fans have wanted this rivalry to renew just as much as we App fans. That being said, I hope we can show them some intense high country hospitality and spirit such that they will continue to voice their support to continue scheduling App. It's a good game for both schools.

App74 wrote:I live near Winston-Salem and am surrounded by WF fans so this game ranks very high for personal reasons. As the season approaches, most will realize that WF will bring a strong team to Boone and we will have to play well in all facets to win.

WF fans have wanted this rivalry to renew just as much as we App fans. That being said, I hope we can show them some intense high country hospitality and spirit such that they will continue to voice their support to continue scheduling App. It's a good game for both schools.

I agree App74, I also live in the Triad (and have for most of my life actually) and have had a lot of contact with Wake fans over the years. They all have respect for App St. football based on the old days when our games were so close and we won about a third of them as an FCS visiting team. They were impressed by both the competitiveness of the team and the large turnout and passionate support of our fans in Winston. At the Miami game last year there were several Miami fans sitting close to us and their group had attended away games all around the ACC in different venues and they said they had never had an experience like in Boone. They loved our fans, the stadium, the campus and the total experience...they said they'd be following our progress and pulling for us (until we showed up in Miami for the return game). That positive experience is what we need to replicate when the Wake fans come up; it'd be a great rivalry and only 90 miles separate the schools. Losing to us now won't carry the same stigma and shortcomings as it did back when we were FCS so the potential is there for a great rivalry and it'll help if their fans are in support of it.

WF @ APP. Has the potential to be the largest crowd ever and the toughest and most expensive ticket to get!!!!