Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/02/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, January 2, 2026

Venue:  Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Wake Forest +3 Mississippi State -3; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Wake Forest +3 Mississippi State -3; Over/Under:  53.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Wake Forest +3 Mississippi State -3; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  8-4 (4-4) (11th place, ACC)

Mississippi State Bulldogs:  5-7 (1-7) (14th place, SEC)

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  lost their last game on the road against the Duke Blue Devils 49-32.

Mississippi State Bulldogs:  lost their last game at home against the Mississippi Rebels 38-19.

Wake Forest is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 4-4 record in their conference games too. They are 5-2 in their home games, 3-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, and they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Duke 49-32. Robby Ashford was the starting QB and he completed 27/43 passes for 342 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Demond Claiborne led the team in rushing yards with 58. Sawyer Racanelli led the receivers with 123 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Aiden Hall led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Gabe Kirschke led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Mississippi State is entering this game with a 5-7 record overall and they have a 1-7 record in their conference games too. They are 3-4 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 Ole Miss 38-19. Kamario Taylor was the starting QB and he completed 15/31 passes for 178 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Kamario Taylor led the team in rushing yards with 173 and 2 TDs. Brenen Thompson led the receivers with 80 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Brylan Lanier led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Wake Forest listed as a 3 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Wake Forest has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 4-4 conference record which had them right in the middle of the ACC. They haven't played in any neutral site games this year so this will be their first, playing in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Meanwhile, Mississippi State hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 5-7 record overall and their 1-7 conference record which had them right near the bottom of the SEC. They haven't played in any neutral site games this season either. Mississippi State is off a 38-19 loss to Ole Miss in their last game of the regular season and they were one of the worst teams in the SEC all year. They didn't earn their spot in this bowl game either, but they get to play in it due to so many teams opting out. They have been missing their starting QB though and their defense has looked terrible all season with the number of points they have been giving up. Wake Forest ended the regular season with a 49-32 loss to Duke, but Duke did go on to win the ACC Championship. They had 3 wins in their last 4 games of the regular season and they had a much better season than what they were projected to do. Their defense was terrible in that final game against Duke, but their defense didn't look that bad for most of the season so they will have a better game against this Mississippi State offense that is going to be missing some players. The best way to place a bet here is on Wake Forest to cover the spread in this game. 

Wake Forest Mississippi State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, January 2, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Wake Forest 20 MS State 13.

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons: 2-5 ATS off a road loss. 18-25 ATS on the road or at a neutral site when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 14-21 ATS on the road or at a neutral site off a road loss against a conference rival. 13-7 OVER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 5-2 OVER versus poor defensive teams - allowing 5.9 yards/play or more.

Mississippi State Bulldogs: 7-3 ATS as a favorite. 8-4 ATS in non-conference games. 7-2 ATS after 3 or more consecutive straight up losses. 8-2 OVER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 13-6 OVER off a loss against a conference rival.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  M. Ibirogba (DL) Doubtful - Undisclosed. N. Gatkuoth (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Harrison (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. G. Steih (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. E. Oehlke (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Winston III (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Garcia (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Egbe (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. W. Stroebel (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. White (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Pahanich (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. I. VerSteeg (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Macneill (P) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Smiley (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Williams (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Tongue (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. U. Ajongo (OG) Out - Knee.

Mississippi State Bulldogs:  B. Shapen (QB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Jefferson (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. W. Whitson (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Smith (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Steen (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed.

"As far as the game goes, a lot of disappointment. They beat us in every area of the game on offense, defense, and special teams. They took care of the ball and got stops. Credit to them and their staff. Credit to our kids playing hard and their effort. Our guys never quit. I'm really proud of the team for the effort they've given this season. I told our seniors that they've done a great job of building a foundation for Wake Forest football that we can continue to build on. We still have an opportunity to win nine games, which is a big deal for our program. Only three other teams have done it. We'll move on from this. We'll learn from this just like we've done all season. Overall, they beat us decisively in every area. I'll take that on me, and we have got to move on. I'm proud of our kids. The fight that they show is unbelievable." - Jake Dickert after his team’s loss against Duke in their regular season finale.

"I've never been more excited about the opportunity to have it dumped on me." - Jeff Lebby on his team playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

WR Berkhalter, Sterling

WR Hernandez, Carlos

WR Barnes, Chris

TE Falayi, Eni 

QB Ashford, Robby

RB Claiborne, Demond

WR Thompson, Brenen

WR Mosley, Jordan

WR Evans III, Anthony

TE Traore, Seydou

QB Shapen, Blake

RB Bothwell, Fluff

Passing: Robby Ashford (2,169)

Rushing: Demond Claiborne (907)

Receiving: Chris Barnes (547)

Touchdowns: Demond Claiborne (10)

Passing: Blake Shapen (2,433)

Rushing: Fluff Bothwell (639)

Receiving: Brenen Thompson (948)

Touchdowns: Davon Booth (9)

Coaches:

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Jake Dickert (1st season)

Mississippi State Bulldogs: Jeff Lebby (2nd season)