A finale needs spectacle, which is probably why the Duke’s Mayo Bowl serves as the finale of the non-playoff bowl season.
There’s no better way to close out bowl season than with a mayo bath — exactly what the winner between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Mississippi State Bulldogs will be treated to.
The Demon Deacons are trying to cap off a great year with a bowl win, but that will be easier said than done, as the Bulldogs have played better than their record indicates.
My Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State predictions and college football picks are riding with the Bulldogs on Friday, January 2.
Wake Forest vs Mississippi State predictions for the Duke's Mayo Bowl
Who will win the Duke's Mayo Bowl?
Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs have been undervalued all year, while Wake Forest will be missing its best player on both sides of the ball.
Wake Forest vs Mississippi State best bet: Mississippi State Bulldogs -3.5 (-102)
It was a solid season for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. An 8-4 record with impressive wins over SMU and Virginia.
This Demon Deacons squad was powered by its defense, which ranked 21st in EPA and 11th in success rate in the regular season. Unfortunately, as good as the defense was, that’s how bad the offense was. The Deacs ranked 91st in the country in EPA and 117th in success rate.
To make matters worse, Wake Forest will be without its best player on both sides of the ball. Stud defensive tackle Mateen Ibirogba has entered the transfer portal, and running back Demond Claiborne declared for the NFL Draft.
Wake Forest will now have to deal with an underrated Mississippi State Bulldogs squad.
The Bulldogs enter this bowl game with a 5-7 record. But they were a few plays away from a much better record. Those included overtime losses to Tennessee and Texas and a last-second loss to Florida.
Mississippi State had a surprisingly efficient offense, ranking 54th in success rate and 24th in points per quality drive.
Freshman Kamario Taylor should be getting the start here, and he's coming off a breakout performance against Mississippi in his last start, where he threw for 178 yards and rushed for 173 more and two scores.
As I said, the Bulldogs are an underrated team and will cover this 3.5-point spread.
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Wake Forest vs Mississippi State same-game parlay
This two-leg SGP will include the Under 52.5.
Mississippi State’s offense is underrated, sure. But it isn’t elite by any means. And on top of that, it’s a run-heavy scheme against what is still a Wake Forest defense.
More importantly, I don’t see how Wake Forest moves the ball consistently. Claiborne was their best player and scored 10 touchdowns this season. And they still scored just 25.5 points per game against FBS opponents.
I don’t see how the Deacs contribute enough offensively to send this game Over the total.
Wake Forest vs Mississippi State SGP
- Mississippi State -3.5
- Under 52.5
Wake Forest vs Mississippi State odds
- Spread: Wake Forest +3.5 | Mississippi State -3.5
- Moneyline: Wake Forest +130 | Mississippi State -154
- Over/Under: Over 52.5 | Under 52.5
Wake Forest vs Mississippi State trend to know
Mississippi State has covered the spread in eight of its last 12 games (+3.60 Units / 27% ROI). Find more college football betting trends for Wake Forest vs Mississippi State.
How to watch Wake Forest vs Mississippi State
| Location | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| Date | Friday, January 2, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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