Wk 3 · 2026
Miami Hurricanes at Wake Forest Demon Deacons — Fri, Sep 18
Fri, Sep 18 ·
Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC
· ESPN FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
7:30pET
MIA -20.5 · total 55.5 DraftKings opened +19.5 · 1 toward MIA
Ratings differential MIA by 11.2
What is at stake
A ACC game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race. Miami is ranked #4 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04).
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Miami form
W 41-13at CLEMW 52-3vs CMUW 33-20at WAKEW 77-7vs FAMUW 45-6at STAN
2026 season
Wake Forest form
W 38-14at NCSUW 57-3vs STANW 30-27at LOUL 20-33vs MIAW 38-36at PUR
2026 season
Miami this season
Straight up5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Against the spread4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Over / under4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Wake Forest this season
Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 2
| Opponent | Miami | Wake Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford ACC | at W 45-6 preview | vs W 57-3 preview |
| Duke ACC | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Miami leads 5–0 · Miami has won the last 5
5 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
10.2 points toward Miami
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-18 | Miami 33 — 20 Wake Forest | at WAKE | Miami |
| 2024 | 2024-11-23 | Wake Forest 14 — 42 Miami | at MIA | Miami |
| 2013 | 2013-10-26 | Wake Forest 21 — 24 Miami | at MIA | Miami |
| 2009 | 2009-10-31 | Miami 28 — 27 Wake Forest | at WAKE | Miami |
| 2008 | 2008-10-25 | Wake Forest 10 — 16 Miami | at MIA | Miami |
Miami leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Darian Mensah QB #10 | 112/133, 1438 YDS, 15 TD |
| Luke Nickel QB #5 | 15/20, 204 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT | |
| Rushing | Mark Fletcher Jr. RB #4 | 52 CAR, 307 YDS, 5 TD |
| Javian Mallory RB #21 | 39 CAR, 289 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Chris Wheatley-Humphrey RB #25 | 11 CAR, 104 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Malachi Toney WR #1 | 39 REC, 604 YDS, 6 TD |
| Cooper Barkate WR #18 | 19 REC, 241 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Elija Lofton TE #9 | 12 REC, 134 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Daylyn Upshaw WR #7 | 13 REC, 129 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Omar Thornton DB #0 | 21 |
| Marquise Lightfoot DL #8 | 20 | |
| Mohamed Toure LB #1 | 18 | |
| Sacks | Marquise Lightfoot DL #8 | 5 |
| Damon Wilson II DL #10 | 3.5 | |
| Omar Thornton DB #0 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Ethan O'Connor DB #24 | 1 |
| Brody Jennings DB #15 | 1 | |
| JJ Dunnigan DB #25 | 1 |
Wake Forest leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Gio Lopez QB #3 | 98/151, 1377 YDS, 10 TD, 1 INT |
| Steele Pizzella QB #6 | 3/6, 63 YDS | |
| Rushing | Ty Clark III RB #4 | 50 CAR, 258 YDS, 3 TD |
| Deuce Lawrence RB #22 | 47 CAR, 235 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Gio Lopez QB #3 | 48 CAR, 192 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Receiving | Carlos Hernandez WR #8 | 37 REC, 603 YDS, 3 TD |
| Jack Foley WR #10 | 9 REC, 172 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Kam Shanks WR #5 | 12 REC, 162 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Antonio Meeks WR #14 | 8 REC, 155 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Vincent Firenze LB #23 | 37 |
| Davaughn Patterson DB #5 | 36 | |
| Aiden Hall LB #21 | 35 | |
| Sacks | Langston Hardy DL #11 | 3 |
| Gabe Kirschke DL #10 | 3 | |
| Zach Lohavichan DL #94 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | Dallas Afalava DL #52 | 1 |
| Somad Eaddy DB #38 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.