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FACTS & STATS: Site: BB&T Field (31,500) -- Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Television: Raycom. Home Record: Stanford 0-0, Wake Forest 0-1. Away Record: Stanford 1-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Neutral Record: Stanford 0-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Conference Record: Stanford 1-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: After winning at Washington State in their opener, the Stanford Cardinal will remain on the road this Saturday and will take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem.

Stanford had little trouble getting by its conference opponent last week, defeating the Cougars, 39-13. Winning on the road could be the difference between the Cardinal finishing under .500 once again, or making a push for a bowl bid. From 2006 to 2008 Stanford struggled in enemy territory, winning just four times, and that includes just one win last season.

As for the Demon Deacons, they had the luxury of playing in front of a home crowd in their opener, but the team could not give its fans a victory, as Wake Forest fell to Baylor, 24-21. It was the fourth season-opening loss in the last six seasons for WF, which is usually solid at home. After this Saturday's contest the Demon Deacons will host Elon before opening ACC play on the road against Boston College.

This will be the first meeting between Wake Forest and Stanford on the football field.

In 2008 the Cardinal dominated opponents with their ground game, and not much changed as the team opened the new campaign with the same approach. Stanford pummeled Washington State on the ground, rushing for 288 yards and three scores, while finishing with 481 total yards in the 26-point victory. Toby Gerhart also picked up where he left off in 2008, rushing for 121 yards and two scores on 5.3 ypc. Gerhart is just one of the many talented backs in the Pac-10 and he proved that in '08 when rushing for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jeremy Stewart added 57 rushing yards and one score, while quarterback Andrew Luck rumbled for 53 yards. Luck made his debut as Stanford's starter and managed the game well, throwing for 193 yards and one touchdown on 11-of-23 passing. Things will get a bit tougher for Luck when he faces a much quicker defense this weekend in Winston-Salem.

Stanford was nothing special defensively in 2008, but in its opener against Washington State the team showed it has improved in the off-season, and could be tougher in the 2009 campaign. In the win over WSU, the Cardinal limited the Cougars to just 349 total yards, including 102 rushing yards on just 3.0 ypc. Washington State is not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, but the Cardinal's success against the run is critical considering the team was pounded for 153 yards per contest in '08. Unfortunately Stanford did show its inability to stop the pass, as WSU threw for 247 yards, but that could be due to the fact the Cougars were playing catch up throughout the second half. Coach Jim Harbaugh's squad did not force a turnover in the win, but did record three sacks and held the Cougars to just 4-of-14 on third down attempts. Delano Howell led the way with 8.5 tackles in the win, while Thomas Keiser was a terror in the backfield, racking up 3.5 TFLs.

Wake Forest collected eight victories in 2008 despite having an inconsistent offense that averaged just 308 total ypg. Unfortunately for coach Jim Grobe the offense did not seem to change in the off-season and opened the year with a lackluster effort in the three-point loss to Baylor, posting just 269 total yards. WF was its own worst enemy, committing four turnovers, three of which were interceptions thrown by quarterback Riley Skinner. Skinner, who was also sacked three times, completed 20-of-31 passes for just 143 yards, but did throw two touchdowns. Last year Skinner completed a solid 63.9 percent of his passes, but only threw for 2,347 yards and 13 TDs. Last year the ground game was nothing special, as the team rumbled for just 121 ypg on a mere 3.1 ypc. Much like 2008, the Demon Deacons were unable to get the wheels moving in the opener, posting just 126 yards on 3.7 ypc. Devon Brown was the best option for Wake, but finished with only 46 yards on eight totes.

As mentioned earlier the Demon Deacons posted eight victories, and the team's 2008 success was largely due to the tremendous play by the defense, which was ferocious, holding opponents to just 18.3 ppg on 297.0 total ypg. However, mass defections on this side of the football could cost the team dearly in 2009. Wake was not sharp in the matchup against Baylor, surrendering 366 total yards, including 197 rushing yards on 5.3 ypc. Overall the defense forced one turnover in the contest and grabbed three sacks, but the four turnovers committed by the offense was too much for this defense to overcome.

The Demon Deacons will continue to play hard-nosed defense, but for Wake to win, the offense must come to play. Wake Forest is home, and although the Cardinal seem much improved, look for the Demon Deacons to grab a tough win here.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wake Forest 20, Stanford 17