Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest Prediction, Odds, Picks - January 2, 2026

Updated Jan. 2, 2026 3:04 p.m. ET

Data Skrive

The Duke's Mayo Bowl features a matchup between the Mississippi State Bulldogs (who are 3-point favorites) and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on January 2, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The contest's point total is set at 53.5.

The Bulldogs lost against the Ole Miss Rebels in their last game, 38-19. The Demon Deacons lost versus the Duke Blue Devils in their last game, 49-32.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest Game Information & Odds

When: Friday, January 2, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: ESPN
Streaming: FOX One + ESPN Bundle

Mississippi State vs Wake Forest Betting Information updated as of January 2, 2026, 2:45 p.m. ET.
Favorite	Spread (Odds)	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Total	Over Moneyline	Under Moneyline
Mississippi State	-3 (-110)	-155	+130	53.5	-108	-112

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Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest Prediction

Pick ATS: Wake Forest (+3)
Pick OU: Over (53.5)
Prediction: Wake Forest 29, Mississippi State 25

Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.

Learn more about the Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. the Wake Forest Demon Deacons game on FOX Sports!

Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest Betting Insights

Per the spread and over/under, the implied score for the tilt is Bulldogs 28, Demon Deacons 25.
The Bulldogs have a 60.8% chance to collect the win in this contest based on the moneyline's implied probability. The Demon Deacons hold a 43.5% implied probability.
Mississippi State has covered eight times in 12 games with a spread this season.
Wake Forest has covered eight times in 12 games with a spread this year.

Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest: 2025 Stats Comparison

	Mississippi State	Wake Forest
Off. Points per Game (Rank)	30.5 (60)	26.8 (85)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)	29.2 (82)	21.5 (24)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)	15 (50)	20 (105)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)	17 (57)	15 (74)

Mississippi State 2025 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Blake Shapen	QB	2,436 YDS (64.1%) / 15 TD / 8 INT 26 RUSH YDS / 3 RUSH TD / 2.4 RUSH YPG
Brenen Thompson	WR	53 REC / 948 YDS / 6 TD / 79 YPG
Davon Booth	RB	552 YDS / 7 TD / 46 YPG / 4.1 YPC 15 REC / 165 REC YDS / 2 REC TD / 18.3 REC YPG
Kamario Taylor	QB	388 YDS (54.5%) / 4 TD / 1 INT 395 RUSH YDS / 7 RUSH TD / 39.5 RUSH YPG
Brylan Lanier	DB	59 TKL / 2 TFL / 1 SACK / 3 INT
Nic Mitchell	LB	68 TKL / 4 TFL / 2.5 SACK / 1 INT
Jahron Manning	DB	79 TKL / 3 TFL / 1 INT / 1 PD
Isaac Smith	DB	54 TKL / 1 TFL / 1 SACK / 1 INT

Wake Forest 2025 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Robby Ashford	QB	2,169 YDS (59.2%) / 9 TD / 7 INT 504 RUSH YDS / 7 RUSH TD / 45.8 RUSH YPG
Demond Claiborne	RB	907 YDS / 10 TD / 75.6 YPG / 5.1 YPC 28 REC / 140 REC YDS / 0 REC TD / 12.7 REC YPG
Chris Barnes	WR	39 REC / 547 YDS / 3 TD / 49.7 YPG
Carlos Hernandez	WR	34 REC / 538 YDS / 3 TD / 44.8 YPG
Langston Hardy	DL	62 TKL / 10 TFL / 6.5 SACK
Nick Andersen	DB	90 TKL / 4 TFL / 0.5 SACK
Dylan Hazen	LB	63 TKL / 4 TFL
Nuer Gatkuoth	DL	33 TKL / 6 TFL / 6 SACK / 1 INT