The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are buying out of their football game against the East Carolina Pirates in 2027, according to a report from HoistTheColours.
Wake Forest was scheduled to face East Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., on September 11, 2027. Per the report, the Demon Deacons will pay the Pirates a $750,000 cancellation fee, which is the amount stated in the game contract.
“Wake Forest is going to drop us in ’27,” ECU AD Jon Gilbert said on 94.3 The Game’s Patrick Johnson Show. “The way the contract works is, they had to give notification on the 2027 game. We’re going to get a buyout, so it will be still financially attractive. The next year, we need an away game, so we’re still going to go to Wake Forest to keep the game on the road. It makes sense for us to keep the game. We get to play an ACC opponent. And we still exchange a little bit of money to cover our expenses (on the road). It will be a net positive gain for us.
“We’re going to be looking for a game in ’27. In the football scheduling world, that is tomorrow. I don’t know where we will end up with that game, but I have been working the phones since they notified us on that. We’re going to need an FBS-type game in that window.”
Wake Forest and East Carolina originally agreed to a home-and-home football series back in 2018. The Demon Deacons are scheduled to host the Pirates at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2028.
The Wake-ECU game was canceled due to the ACC moving to a nine-game conference football schedule beginning with the 2027 season. The Demon Deacons are now down to three games in 2027.
Wake Forest will also need to cancel one contest for both the 2028 and 2029 seasons. The Demon Deacons are scheduled to play Elon, Purdue, UConn, and East Carolina in 2028, while in 2029 they are slated to face Norfolk State, Georgia State, Oregon State, and Notre Dame.
East Carolina is slated to open the 2027 season at home against Western Carolina on Sept. 4. The Pirates will also visit Northwestern on Sept. 18 before returning home to host Georgia State eon Sept. 25.
Football Schedules
Of course, it’s playing AT ECU, why the heck would Wake Forest want to play there?
College Football which essentially has become NFL lite, needs a central scheduling agency.
CFB is essentially pro football now, but that doesn’t mean it’s a centralized cartel like the NFL. There are (and have been) other pro football leagues besides the NFL.
to Richard: Still pro leagues that had to coordinate scheduling.
First Ole Miss, and now East Carolina.
Seems to me that if the real reason for cancellation were the ACC’s shift to nine games — which would be legitimate— that ECU’s home game could be pushed back a few seasons.
So I call BS — and bad faith dealing from Wake AD John Currie.
Of course the criticism comes in from the usuals, but this isn’t like they called off a game that was a big block buster.
We’re only talking about Wake Forest after all, but if you look at their 2027 schedule, don’t they need an additional P4 to round it out?
It’s not like they will be in the battle for the CFP though any time soon, but don’t ever waste a chance to pile on the hate.
If the Deacs hadn’t gotten hosed on an offsides call / non-call against Georgia Tech and everything else had played out the same, they would be in the hunt for the ACC title game right now with a 9-2 record and holding tiebreakers as the only team that beat each of the frontrunners (SMU and UVa).
And they actually were in the ACC title game four seasons ago (lost to Pitt).
Not sure why you’re so dismissive of any possibility the Deacs could contend for the CFP. Or why you think can’t be in for scrutiny.
Surely you agree it’s a bad look to agree a home-&-home and then welsh out on the traveling part of the deal. The “bad look” conclusion has nothing to do with blockbuster / not blockbuster, etc.
Lastly, do they really need an additional P4 game in ’27? They’ve got nine conference games, Notre Dame visiting Charlotte and a top quality G6 foe in Tulane. That all looks pretty good to me.
No, they have ND and only need three non-conference games total.
They may say it’s because of the 9 game schedule, but I also remember an article about a year ago that the ACC office told the schools to not schedule away group of 5 games. Power 4 away games were fine, but not away group of 5. I suspect this move is more about that…..needing to reduce a game that year is just a convenient coincidence.
C’mon People, I’m An ECU Alumni, Pirates Clib Member and Fan but It’s Some Fans Like the Ones Making Derogatory Comments That Help Give aus the Label of “Crybabys”!!! These Games Were Scheduled I’m 2018. College Football Has Chang3d Dramatically Since Then. ACC Going To Nine Games Is A Valid Reason For Dropping Us. Hell We Still Get $3/4 Million & Then Get To Schedule Someone Else. It’s The BUISNESS of COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!
I feel like the days of “Power 4” playing at ECU are over. It sucks. ECU should schedule Marshall to come in ‘27 and play there in ‘29.