WAKE FOREST BEATS CLEMSON, LEADS ACC ATLANTIC

It’s time for college football fans to wrap their heads around the fact that Wake Forest is for real.When the Demon Deacons won 11 games in 2006, it felt like a fluke. But last year’s 9-4 record showed that they have real staying power, and by beating Clemson 12-7 tonight, Wake Forest became the clear favorite to win the ACC Atlantic Division.Wake still has six ACC games left, so it’s too early to pencil in the Demon Deacons for the conference championship game just yet. But they should be favored in all six conference games, and at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC, they should be considered strong favorites to win the division.Riley Skinner, who struggled in Wake’s shocking loss to Navy, came back with a big game tonight, both running and passing. Wake’s defense held Clemson to just 21 rushing yards.For Clemson, the loss drops them to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC, and the Tigers have to be considered one of the major disappointments of this college football season. In a lot of preseason rankings the Tigers were in the Top 10, and now they’ll just hope to get into a third-tier bowl in December. Tommy Bowden, you’re officially on the hot seat.