Think about ACC football powerhouses, and Wake Forest probably isn't the first team to leap to mind.
But the 14th-ranked Demon Deacons (6-1, 4-1) bring an impressive resume into Saturday's home game against Virginia (4-4, 2-3).

Here are 10 things Cavalier fans should know about the Deacons:

1. They're on a roll

After eking out narrow victories over Purdue (38-36 in overtime) and Louisville (30-27) and giving No. 1 Miami its toughest test so far (a 33-20 loss), Wake has kicked things up a notch. In the past three weeks, the Deacons have routed Stanford (57-3), NC State (38-14) and California (41-7). That's an average victory margin of 37 points.

2. Their game travels

It's not a factor for Saturday's game in Winston-Salem, but the Deacons are the only team in the nation with four road victories over Power Four Conference opponents (Purdue, Louisville, NC State and Cal). For comparison, Virginia has yet to win outside Scott Stadium this season.

3. They dominate second halves

Trying to play catch-up against Wake is a risky proposition. In their five ACC games (including the loss to Miami), the Deacons have outscored their opponents by 60 points, the largest margin of any FBS squad. Again, for comparison, Virginia has scored three total points in the fourth quarter of its three ACC losses.

4. They value the ball

Through seven games, Wake is tied for third nationally, losing only three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles). Only Army and Notre Dame have committed fewer (two each). Not surprisingly, the Deacons' defense is one of only five FBS teams that have not allowed a single point off turnovers all season.

5. Gio Lopez is a new man

Lopez was part of North Carolina's major struggles last season under first-year college coach Bill Belichick. Virginia intercepted him twice and sacked him three times in a 17-16 overtime victory.

But a transfer across the state to Wake has reinvigorated Lopez, who has thrown 17 touchdown passes with just a single interception. The left-hander has thrown for 1,947 yards (third-most in the ACC) and also run for six touchdowns. He's one of only two quarterbacks in the country who's been responsible for 20 or more touchdowns with just one interception. And he's been sacked just eight times.

6. He's got multiple targets

The clear focus of Virginia's injury-riddled secondary has to be Carlos Hernandez, who ranks third in the ACC with 720 receiving yards on 49 catches. He's topped 100 yards in a game three times, including a nine-catch, 194-yard effort against Louisville.

But the Cavaliers can't afford to ignore his teammates. Fellow receiver Jack Foley caught six passes for 118 yards against Miami. And against Cal last week, freshman tight end Dominick Barry hauled in three scoring passes, a first for a Deacon in the past seven years.

7. The run game is improving

Wake's rushing numbers pale in comparison to Lopez's gaudy passing statistics, but the Deacons have shown better balance of late, topping 175 yards on the ground in three of their past four games. They have three players with at least 250 rushing yards: Ty Clark III (328), Deuce Lawrence (307) and Lopez (253).

8. Hardy leads the defense

Since transferring from UConn before the 2025 season, redshirt senior defensive end Langston Hardy has wrecked opposing backfields. He made 17 tackles for loss last year and ranks second in the ACC with 11.5 in 2026. No FBS player has more stops behind the line of scrimmage since the start of last season.

9. Passing zone?

If there's one way to attack Wake's defense, it's through the air. The Deacons allow just 2.9 yards per rushing attempt, but they've allowed opponents to complete 75 percent of their passes, the highest rate in the ACC. They've also made just two interceptions all year. If Beau Pribula and the offense can shake their recent slump, there may be some opportunities.

10. Deacons are rested

Virginia's schedule may not be the ACC's toughest -- Miami, Louisville, and Clemson are nowhere to be found -- but the Cavaliers keep running into teams coming off bye weeks. Wake was idle last weekend, as was SMU when Virginia visited. The Cavaliers are off next weekend, but so is their next opponent (Cal).