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

Published Dec. 30, 2025 9:04 p.m. ET

Data Skrive

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons play the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Duke's Mayo Bowl as 3-point underdogs on January 2, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The point total is set at 53.5 for the contest.

The Bulldogs lost to the Ole Miss Rebels, 38-19, in their most recent game. In their last game, the Demon Deacons lost against the Duke Blue Devils, 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 December 30, 2025, 6:45 p.m. ET.
Favorite	Spread (Odds)	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Total	Over Moneyline	Under Moneyline
Mississippi State	-3 (-110)	-161	+135	53.5	-108	-112

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

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 61.7% chance to collect the win in this game based on the moneyline's implied probability. The Demon Deacons hold a 42.6% implied probability.
Mississippi State has covered eight times in 12 chances against the spread this season.
Wake Forest is 8-4-0 ATS this season.

Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest: 2025 Stats Comparison

	Mississippi State	Wake Forest
Off. Points per Game (Rank)	30.5 (56)	26.8 (84)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)	29.2 (83)	21.5 (29)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)	15 (54)	20 (108)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)	17 (54)	15 (73)

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