There were times when the picture to the right would be an accurate characterization of the Demon Deacon's football team. This year, obviously, is not one of those times.
Getting the important stuff out of the way - the game starts in 20 minutes on ESPNU (Company Motto: Still Not Available in Your Area) and your friendly neighborhood internet radio station.
UNC is not nearly the underdog they should be for this game, in part because a lot of people seem to believe in the restorative properties of firing a football coach. I'm not one of those people, and think Wake will win going away. I'm more interested in the rest of their strange season.
At the beginning of the year, I thought Wake would be 6-1 at this point; I also thought they'd lose their last five. Obviously, I no longer have faith in UNC winning today. But can the Demon Deacons beat Boston College, Florida State, and Virginia Tech in the next three weeks?
I'm going to say no. I'm waffling on the Florida State game - the Seminoles are pretty mediocre this year - but I think the psychological edge might be enough for a struggling FSU squad. Wake remains one of only two of the eight dwarves to have not gotten the Bowden monkey off their back (Duke is the other, unsurprisingly). As much as I'll be rooting for Wake to win the ACC Atlantic, I think this week is their last win until Maryland, so don't get too comfortable seeing them in the Top 25.