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WINSTON-SALEM -- Wake Forest went to another level Saturday afternoon, taking measure of North Carolina and forcing us all to wonder just how good the Deacons are.

Against rival UNC, with enough concerns to keep an old football coach awake at night, even Jim Grobe had to admit that right now Wake Forest is a really good team. Butch Davis had to admit it, too. With a bizarre college football season coming into focus, the steady Deacons became bowl eligible with a 37-10 leveling of North Carolina that should bolt Wake Forest back into the national picture.

These are heady days in Winston-Salem, and before a sold-out crowd under what was eventually an ironic Carolina blue sky, the Deacs crushed the Heels and made a demand for recognition.

"I haven't heard our name come up in a while,'' quarterback Riley Skinner said after another near-perfect display of Wake Forest football. "I'm not sure of the respect we're getting.''

The respect comes slowly this season with a suspect conference giving up its best grudgingly. That the best teams turned out to be Boston College and Wake Forest comes as a surprise to many, particularly some of those with votes in the national polls. Skinner was introduced to one Saturday as he made his case for notoriety.

"We're not ranked,'' he said, barely smiling.

Coming off an Orange Bowl season that made local heroes of Skinner, Grobe and a cast of players billed as underachievers, Wake is finding fewer converts a year later. That's puzzling considering the Deacons' roster is dotted with players who will play in the NFL, players with blinding speed, all-ACC talent and big-game experience. While opponents still grumble and opposing fans still chafe under the idea that Wake Forest is one of the best teams in the nation, the Deacs are rolling on toward another big game, another big season, another big step toward achieving what all Deacons everywhere have always wanted.

Consideration.

Wake won its sixth straight game Saturday, its second straight over Carolina and its 21st in 26 games against in-state schools since Grobe arrived seven years ago. There are a lot of other years to make up for, and that's what gave last season its charm. The magical run was special, but that didn't stop people from wondering when, if ever, the Deacs would repeat such a season.

Wake now has won more consecutive games than at any time a year ago and has won 17 of its last 22 games overall. There's nothing charming about this year. Wake is better than North Carolina, better than most teams in the country and better than the attention the Deacons have received nationally. According to the national polls, the Deacs came in ranked 28th in the AP poll this week and tied for 35th in the coaches' poll.

Grobe, whose patience has guided the Deacon awakening, is content to wait for all that Wake deserves.

"We're putting ourselves in position to do some special stuff,'' Grobe said.

All the special stuff comes later. First will come a road trip to Virginia, which Wake hasn't played since 2003 and once lost 17 straight games against. Those were some of the dark years of Deacon football, and they still cast a shadow over what are certainly the glory years of Deacon football.

No one in this state should doubt it any longer. Wake Forest is the best football team and the best football program in North Carolina, and it has been for a couple of years now.

Wake will move back onto a national stage next week against Virginia then end the regular season with games against Clemson, N.C. State and Vanderbilt.

All the special stuff should begin to come into focus in the coming weeks.

Skinner walked into Groves Stadium on a perfect Saturday afternoon and noticed the weather. He looked into the stands and saw all the black and gold and Carolina blue and realized what a big day it was for the Deacons.

"It was a great atmosphere,'' he said. "The weather was perfect You're against your rival, it's Parents Weekend. It couldn't have been better.''

Wake defeated its rival soundly, kicker Sam Swank became the all-time leading scorer in school history, Grobe's won-lost record of six wins over .500 put him alongside Peahead Walker in the annals of Wake history and the Deacs became bowl eligible.

There would've been days in the past when such a series of events would be too big to comprehend. Now it's the opposite. Now you wonder how many more there will be. Now you wonder why everyone hasn't realized what's happening at Wake Forest.

These aren't the charming little Baptists of years past. These are the reigning champions of the ACC, the best team in North Carolina and one of the best in the country.

Eventually, the country might figure that out.

Contact Ed Hardin at 373-7069 or ehardin@news-record.com