​LOUISVILLE, KY – SEPTEMBER 26: Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (3) calls the play in the huddle during a college football game between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Louisville Cardinals on September 26, 2026 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, KY. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After taking down #16 Louisville on the road this weekend, the Deacs just missed breaking into the Ap Top 25 for the first time since October 30th 2022. The Deacs received 88 points, essentially putting them at #29 in the nation.Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 102, Duke 101, Penn State 98, Wake Forest 88, Virginia Tech 86, Michigan 54, Pittsburgh 52, Nebraska 36, Louisville 25, Cincinnati 20, James Madison 10, Arizona 8, Minnesota 7, North Dakota State 6, Northwestern 1https://t.co/bM9dhWQ0Jkhttps://t.co/BrDlL6joux— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) September 27, 2026Wake Forest appeared on 21 of the 70 pollsters’ ballots, coming in as high as 17 on 4 ballots. The North Carolina voting members John Johnson (Winston-Salem), Pat Welter (Raleigh), and Kate Rogerson (Raleigh) all had Wake ranked at #23. You can checkout how every member voted over at CollegePollTracker. Obviously, I am extremely biased here, but the Deacs definitely deserve to be ranked. Wake is one of 5 teams in the entire country with two P4 road wins (Miami, VT, Miss State, UCLA) and has just 1 loss to a team that is currently 4th in the nation. Wake’s win on the road against #16 Louisville is far better than several of the ranked teams’ best wins, including: #17 Tennessee (at 1-3 Georgia Tech), #21 SMU (at 2-2 FSU) and #25 Missouri (at 1-2 Kansas). I don’t doubt that a few teams are receiving votes simply due to the conference they play in.Since 2024, Missouri has been ranked in @AP_Top25 poll in 32 of 39 weeksIn that span, Missouri is 1-9 vs. ranked teams, w/only win vs. No. 24 Boston College in 2024— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 28, 2026The good news is that whether Wake is ranked in the AP Top 25 or not ultimately doesn’t matter—a number next to their name isn’t going to help them win any games. When the College Football Playoff rankings come out later in the season, no one will even pay attention the AP Poll anymore, anyways. As long as the Deacs continue to win games every week, the media’s opinion of them is more or less irrelevant. Go Deacs!