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FACTS & STATS: Site: Groves Stadium (31,500) -- Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Television: Local. Home Record: Baylor 0-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Away Record: Baylor 0-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Neutral Record: Baylor 0-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Conference Record: Baylor 0-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Series Record: Baylor leads, 4-1.

GAME NOTES: Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem is the site of the 2009 season opener between the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons of the ACC.

Baylor showed a great deal of promise in 2008 under the guidance of first-year head coach Art Briles. Sure, the Bears only won four games and failed to end a postseason drought that dates back to the mid-90's, but the fact that they were even competitive in many Big 12 games came as a surprise to fans and experts alike. There is plenty of young returning talent in place for this season, so there is reason for optimism in Waco.

Jim Grobe has done an outstanding job during his tenure as head coach at Wake Forest, building the program from ACC afterthought to perennial conference powerhouse. In 2008, the Demon Deacons earned their third consecutive bowl bid, the first time in school history that had happened. Although five of the first six games of this season will be played at home, expectations are tempered a bit, partly because of the fact that four players from last season's standout defense were drafted by NFL clubs. Fans of the program will certainly find out a great deal about their beloved Deacs in this opener.

Baylor has won four of the five all-time meetings with Wake Forest, but the lone win by the Demon Deacons came last season in a 41-13 final.

With Robert Griffin running the show for the Baylor offense, the unit should be able to move the football and put points on the board both in this opener and all season long. Griffin threw for more than 2,000 yards and 15 TDs in 2008 as a freshman, adding 843 yards and 13 scores on the ground. Returning to help Griffin get the job done are playmakers David Gettis, Kendall Wright and Ernest Smith. Like Griffin, Wright enjoyed a sensational rookie season last year, logging a team-best 50 catches for 649 yards and five TDs. Jay Finley has the talent to become a workhorse out of the BU backfield. Facing a Wake Forest defense that certainly has some questions, the Bears have an opportunity to put up some big numbers in week one. The experience that Griffin and his young teammates gained last season should prove invaluable.

Last season, the Baylor defense did an admirable job against the run, yielding an average of 137.9 ypg (53rd in the country), but its effort against the pass was poor to say the least (255.3 ypg, 103rd). A total of five starters are back from that unit, including all-conference LB Joe Pawelek (128 tackles, six INTs). The two Antonios (Jones and Johnson) will flank Pawelek and give Baylor as solid a linebacking corps as there is in the Big 12 this year. Pawelek is one of the truly elite defenders in the conference, and he figures to get some help up front from mammoth DT Phil Taylor. The former Penn State Nittany Lion checks in at 6-4, 355 pounds, and he has the ability to clog running lanes all season while also collapsing the pocket on passing downs. Breaking in a pair of starters at corner against Wake Forest will be a challenge, but safeties Jeremy Williams and Jordan Lake (all-league performer last year) are back to help with what the coaching staff hopes is a smooth transition.

Last season, the Wake Forest offense generated a modest 308.3 total ypg, but that figure should be improved by the return of nine starters on this side of the ball. It all starts with the quarterback, and Riley Skinner is a good one. The senior threw for 2,347 yards and 13 TDs last season, numbers that can be described as mediocre at best. Still, he did complete almost 64 percent of his passes, and Skinner is the ACC's all-time leader in terms of passing accuracy, completing 67.3 percent of his throws. It remains to be seen who will emerge as a go-to guy in the passing game, as Wake's returning receivers are mostly unproven. The hope is that junior Marshall Williams (6-1, 185) can take the next step after finishing second on the team as a sophomore with 26 receptions for 390 yards and two TDs. Tight end Ben Wooster (24 receptions, three TDs) will probably become more of a threat downfield as well, and he will have to be accounted for on passing downs by the Baylor defense. The Wake Forest ground attack returns all three tailbacks from a year ago in Brandon Pendergrass (528 yards, five TDs), Josh Adams (402 yards, four TDs) and Kevin Harris (176 yards, one TD). Clearly, none put up staggering numbers, but the fact that all five starting offensive linemen from '08 are back in place should help the running game tremendously.

Wake Forest is set to play its first game without Aaron Curry, who was the heart and soul of the team's defense last season and the nation's premier linebacker. Curry is one of seven defensive starters gone from the 2008 club, and the top five tacklers have moved on. Wake Forest thrived on big plays last season, amassing 37 takeaways to lead the nation, and even approaching that total in 2009 seems nearly impossible. Linebackers Hunter Haynes and Matt Woodlief will attempt to replace Curry, so expect both to be monitored closely in this opener. Neither has started for the Deacs previously. Up front there is a little more stability with the return of senior tackles Boo Robinson and John Russell and sophomore rush end Kyle Wilber. Robinson (6-2, 295) had 47 tackles last year and led the team with five sacks. As a freshman, Wilber (6-5, 230) added 42 stops and three sacks. Only one starter is back in the secondary, as senior cover corner Brandon Ghee is the only holdover and will need to be a leader for younger DBs like sophomores Josh Bush and Cyhl Quarles.

Skinner is a proven winner at the quarterback position, but he may not have enough talent around him to win this one. Griffin is electric under center for the Bears, and his young, energetic squad is poised to snap a nine-game road losing skid in what should be a real dogfight.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Baylor 23, Wake Forest 20