Wake Forest at Louisville Week 4 College Football Matchup Wake Forest at Louisville Matchup - Week 4
Sat, Sep 26 2026 · Week 4 · 🏟 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY · Turf · 55,000 cap
Wake Forest✈ 335 miSame TZ
VS
Home
Preseason projection — This game has not yet been played and 2026 in-season data is not yet available. Edges are based on 2025 full-season performance. Confidence will increase once in-season games are logged.
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Wake Forest
21
Louisville
30
P&R Line Louisville -9
P&R Total O/U 50.5
Confidence 55 Early Season
Matchup Prediction
Metrics disagree on this matchup
Momentum Control favors Louisville, while Game Control favors Wake Forest. Split signals historically show weaker predictive confidence — treat as a toss-up.
⚡ Split Signal — Metrics Disagree
Momentum Control
58.4%
Louisville wins
Lean
Game Control
58.3%
Wake Forest wins
Lean
Advanced Stats
Advanced factors are split · No strong agreement signal
↓ See full breakdown
🏠 Louisville 3rd straight Home Game
Wake Forest 2026 Schedule
Wake Forest's 2026 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Thu 9/3Wake Forest vs Akron-20.5
Sat 9/12Wake Forest at Purdue-7.5
Fri 9/18Wake Forest vs Miami+15
Sat 9/26Wake Forest at Louisville+9
Sat 10/3Wake Forest vs Stanford-16
Sat 10/10Wake Forest at NC State+3
Sat 10/17Wake Forest at California+1.5
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/31Wake Forest vs Virginia-1
Sat 11/7Wake Forest vs Merrimack-28
Sat 11/14Wake Forest at SMU+12
Sat 11/21Wake Forest at Georgia Tech+2.5
Sat 11/28Wake Forest vs Duke-2.5
Louisville 2026 Schedule
Louisville's 2026 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/5Louisville vs Ole Miss+8.552.5
Fri 9/11Louisville vs Villanova-31
Sat 9/19Louisville vs SMU+0.5
Sat 9/26Louisville vs Wake Forest-9
Sat 10/3Louisville at NC State-3.5
Fri 10/9Louisville vs Florida State-7
Sat 10/17Louisville at Syracuse-16.5
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/31Louisville vs Stanford-22.5
Fri 11/6Louisville at Georgia Tech-4
Sat 11/14Louisville at North Carolina-12.5
Sat 11/21Louisville vs Pittsburgh-5.5
Sat 11/28Louisville at Kentucky-8
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2025 season (prior year)
Wake Forest PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Split
Metrics disagree
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Wake Forest #82
+0.204
Louisville #84
+0.176
Wake Forest Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Wake Forest #69
+0.304
Louisville #119
+0.232
Wake Forest Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Wake Forest #21
0.182
Louisville #33
0.173
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Wake Forest Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Wake Forest #113
+6.608
Louisville #77
+6.859
Louisville Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Wake Forest #112
+0.752
Louisville #44
+0.798
Louisville Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Wake Forest #30
69.3
Louisville #11
67.6
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Louisville Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2025 season (prior year — 2026 data not yet available) · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Louisville Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Wake Forest #45
4.6
Louisville #22
10.8
Offense Rating
Wake Forest #59
16.6
Louisville #17
21.9
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Wake Forest #39
12.0
Louisville #33
11.2
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Louisville Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Wake Forest #42
1.00
Louisville #17
1.50
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Wake Forest #40
0.75
Louisville #18
0.50
Louisville +0.50
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 2025 full season · preseason estimate
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Wake Forest Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Wake Forest #20
59.6
Louisville #21
52.3
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Wake Forest #20
26.3
Louisville #32
29.4
Wake Forest +7.2
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.3% of games historically
Based on 2025 full season · preseason estimate
Coaching Matchup
Wake Forest
Jake Dickert #40
9–4 (69%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Rob Ezell Yr 2 #53
DC Scottie Hazelton Yr 2 #51
Staff Rating
3.00 #47
Louisville
Jeff Brohm #25
28–12 (70%) · Yr 4 at school
OC Brian Brohm Yr 3 #25
DC Mark Ivey Yr 1 #68
Staff Rating
3.28 #27
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself