North Carolina State Wolfpack vs Kansas State Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/28/2023

Game Time: 5:45 pm ET, Thursday, December 28, 2023

Venue:  Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NCSU +2, KSU -2; Over/Under:  47 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NCSU +2.5, KSU -2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NCSU +2.5, KSU -2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  9-3 (6-2) (3rd place, ACC)

Kansas State Wildcats:  8-4 (6-3) (4th place, Big 12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Big Al McMordie is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 12-4 CFB RUN for +$7,580 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  won their last game at home against the North Carolina Tar Heels 39-20.

Kansas State Wildcats:  lost their last game at home against the Iowa State Cyclones 42-35.

NC State is entering this game with a 9-3 record overall and they have a 6-2 record in their conference games too. They are 5-2 in their home games, 4-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against North Carolina 39-20. Brennan Armstrong was the starting QB and he completed 22/31 passes for 334 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kevin "KC" Concepcion led the team in rushing yards with 55. Kevin "KC" Concepcion led the receivers with 131 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 2 TDs. Payton Wilson led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles while Payton Wilson and Jy'Kevious Hibbler each led the defense in sacks with 1. Payton Wilson and Devan Boykin each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Kansas State is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 6-3 record in their conference games too. They are 6-1 in their home games, 2-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Iowa State 42-35. Will Howard was the starting QB and he completed 24/48 passes for 288 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. DJ Giddens led the team in rushing yards with 114 and 1 TD. Ben Sinnott led the receivers with 136 receiving yards on 10 receptions and 1 TD. Marques Sigle led the defense in that game with 3 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack in that one. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have NC State listed as a 2 point underdog in this Pop-Tarts Bowl game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. NC State has looked really good in their games this season with their 9-3 record overall. They had a rougher start to the season but they have really figured things out down the stretch and have been playing a lot better in their games lately. They finished the season strong with a huge win over their rival UNC and they will be looking to finish off the year with a bowl win here. Meanwhile, Kansas State also looked good this season with their 8-4 record overall but they were only 6-3 in their conference games so the Big 12 Champions from last year didn't get the opportunity to defend their title and that has deflated this team a bit. They finished the season with a very bad effort at home against Iowa State, losing 42-35 in that game, and now they have no starting QB either as Will Howard has entered the transfer portal. Kansas State wasn't as good to end the season this year while NC State has been playing their best over the last month so they will be motivated to end their year with a bowl win here as they are finally starting to click now and have been the better team to finish the season. The best way to place a bet here is on NC State to cover the spread in this game. 

North Carolina State Kansas State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Thursday, December 28, 2023 (5:45 pm ET start time) is NC State 38 K-State 24.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this North Carolina State Wolfpack Kansas State Wildcats prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

North Carolina State Wolfpack: 3-6 ATS after outgaining opp by 125 or more total yards in their previous game. 16-26 ATS after a dominating performance of 34+ minutes TOP and 24+ First downs. 13-7 OVER in a bowl game. 10-3 OVER as a neutral field underdog. 8-4 OVER off an upset win by 14 points or more as an underdog.

Kansas State Wildcats: 23-13 ATS in all games. 18-7 ATS as a favorite. 9-2 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 6-1 OVER when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 16-3 OVER off an upset loss to a conference rival as a favorite. 63-36 OVER after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses.

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  P. Wilson (LB) Out Thurs - Personal. D. Jones II (RB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. R. Ashford (S) out for season - Knee.

Kansas State Wildcats:  A. Newsom (LB) out for season - Undisclosed. D. Green (LB) out for season - Pectoral.

“It’s been one heck of a five-week window. Everything I asked these kids to do, they did.” - Dave Doeren after his team’s win against UNC in their last game of the college football regular season.

“We didn't play good defense at all. That was a poor performance on defense, period.” - Chris Klieman after his team’s loss against ISU in their last game of the college football regular season.

WR Collins, Dacari 

WR Lesane, Keyon 

WR Concepcion, Kevin 

WR Gray, Julian  

TE Pennix, Trent  

QB Armstrong, Brennan  

RB Raphael, Kendrick  

FB Poole, Jordan 

WR Johnson, Keagan 

WR Jackson, Jadon 

WR Brown, Jayce

TE Swanson, Will 

QB Johnson, Avery 

RB Giddens, DJ

Passing: B. Armstrong (1619)

Rushing: B. Armstrong (544)

Receiving: K. Concepcion (767)

Touchdowns: K. Concepcion (10)

Passing: W. Howard (2643)

Rushing: D. Giddens (1075)

Receiving: B. Sinnott (671)

Touchdowns: D. Giddens (11)

Coaches:

North Carolina State Wolfpack: Dave Doeren (11th season)

Kansas State Wildcats: Chris Klieman (5th season)