Wake Forest vs Mississippi State Prediction, Line, Props & Opt Outs (Jan. 2)

• The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are 3.5-point underdogs against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Mayo Bowl on January 2
• The Bulldogs are a 5-win fill-in team after Kansas State and Iowa State opted out of this Bowl
• See below for my Wake Forest vs Mississippi State prediction, including the latest odds, prop picks and opt outs for the Mayo Bowl

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The Wake Forest Demon Decons (8-4) are trying to become just the fourth team in the school’s history to hit nine wins, as they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7) in the May Bowl.

The Bulldogs, a Bottom-3 team in the SEC, are a fill-in squad after both Kansas State and Iowa State opted out. And yet, the books have pegged Mississippi State as the betting favorites in the CFB odds.

Kickoff is set for January 2 at 8 pm ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, home to the NFL’s Panthers. ESPN will provide the broadcast coverage.

Read below for the Wake Forest vs Mississippi State May Bowl prediction, including the latest spread, prop bets and opt outs.

Wake Forest vs Mississippi State Prediction

My Wake Forest vs Mississippi State prediction will focus on the total, as Mississippi State might actually be a good team, just unfortunate to play in the powerhouse SEC.

The Bulldogs’ schedule was next to impossible, getting blown out by Ole Miss, Georgia, and Texas A&M, all of whom are currently alive in the College Football Playoff Bracket.

They also lost shootouts to Tennessee (then ranked 15th) and Texas (then ranked 22nd) in OT. Their lone win against a ranked team was a 24-20 win over Arizona State, their second game of the season.

However, it’s pretty tough to argue that the Bulldogs aren’t very good defensively — which led to the firing of defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler at the end of the regular season. While the Bulldogs can put up points, their inability to stop offense is one of the main reasons I will target the Over.

The Bulldogs finished in the Top 8 of the SEC in scoring, averaging a crisp 30.5 points per game. They were committed to the run, ranking 20th in rushing attempts, while averaging 161.7 yards per game on the ground.

They were buoyed by a pass attack that put up 236.8 yards per game, just outside the nation’s Top 60.

Wake Forest had a good defensive year, ranking 25th in total yards against, while placing inside the Top 40 in both rush yards allowed (122.2) and passing yards allowed (199.7). The question is whether the Demon Deacons can apply that Friday.

Wake did hold then-14th Virginia to single digits in a 16-9 win, and they grinded down a very good SMU team in a 13-12 triumph.

However, the Deacons did get dismantled by Duke last time they played, surrendering a season-high in a 49-32 loss. They also dropped a 30-29 OT decision to Georgia Tech, who was ranked 16th at the time.

The real key here will be if Wake can take advantage of the Bulldogs’ defense, which ranked 15th of the 16 teams in the SEC, allowing a large 29.2 points per game. They were dead last in the conference against the run, getting shredded to the tune of 189.5 yards per game, while sitting eighth in passing yards against at 216.3 yards.

Wake Forest vs Mississippi State: Key Offensive Stats

The Demon Deacons were outside the Top 10 in scoring in the ACC at 26.8 points per game, though they did rank sixth in the run department, producing 156.8 yards per game, while throwing for 232.3 yards per contest (12th).

Wake has seen the Over connect in three straight and seven of the last 10, while Mississippi State has seen the Over cash in four of its last five, allowing at least 38 points in four of those games, all losses. They also scored a shootout win over Arkansas, 38-35.

Wake Forest vs Mississippi State Spread

Odds as of Jan 2 from consensus college football betting apps. The interactive table above will automatically update as the college football odds move over the course of the day.

The Wake Forest vs Mississippi State spread has the Bulldogs as 2.5-point favorites at Caesars, while you can grab Wake Forest as 3-point underdogs at BetMG.

Mississippi State is a -140 favorite on the moneyline at Bet365, with FanDuel setting the Demon Deacons as +128 underdogs on the moneyline.

Total bettors: if you want the Over, Bet365 has the scoring line set at 53 points, while the Under gets a half point to tack on, courtesy of FanDuel.

Wake Forest vs Mississippi State Prop Picks for Mayo Bowl

Odds as of Jan 2. New customers can claim the bet365 promo code and get a bonus to bet on CFB props.

Prop Pick #1: Robby Ashford Over 1.5 TD Passes

Wake Forest senior QB Robby Ashford threw just nine total touchdowns on the year, but he’s been at his best in the last two weeks of the regular season. He tossed for three TDs in a 52-14 win over Delaware, and followed that up with a pair of TD losses in that whipping to Duke.

Robby Ashford dime to Sawyer Racanelli for the 22 yard TD! #WakeForest pic.twitter.com/mvxaLzkSps

— 🜲 🜲 🜲 (@fsh733) November 29, 2025

Mississippi State may have been middle of the pack in passing yards allowed, but teams have thrown and scored on them 21 times, with Vanderbilt and Arkansas the only teams with worse TD passes allowed stats in the SEC.

Prop Pick #2: Fluff Bothwell Over 8.5 Receiving Yards

This is a line that’s begging to be bet on. Fluff Bothwell is the Bulldogs’ leading rusher, but he’s also carved himself a small role in the passing game.

His numbers aren’t huge, but Bothwell has had at least one catch and no more than two grabs in nine straight games. It’s a gettable 8.5 receiving line thread the books have given him, and he’s topped that yardage line in the last two games.

Prop Pick #3: Ty Clark Anytime TD

Wake Forest is down several key skill players (more on that below), but it’s opened the door for Ty Clark to get a bigger role in the offense.

On top of that, he has recorded two of his three total touchdowns on the season in each of Wake’s last two games.

Mississippi State is a Bottom-5 school in run-scoring defense, allowing 17 rushing scores this season.

Wake Forest vs Mississippi State Opt Outs

The college football opt outs tracker tells you who is in and who’s out, and Wake Forest is taking up all the ink here.

The most notable opt-out is running back Demond Claiborne, who declared for the NFL Draft. Claiborne was named to the All-ACC second team — and leads the team with 907 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on a healthy 5.1 yards per carry.

Demond Claiborne right up the middle for the @WakeFB TD! pic.twitter.com/jWJCGaDPmA

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) November 15, 2025

Also out is Wake’s top receiver, Chris Barnes (also the team’s top kick returner), who is entering the transfer portal. He will take his 39 catches, 547 yards and three TDs with him.

Another receiver, Micah Mays Jr, is also in the transfer portal. Mays ranked fourth in receiving yards this year with 302, to go along with two TD catches.

The most notable opt out for Mississippi State is quarterback Blake Shapen, who is preparing for the NFL Draft. Injuries derailed his season, though, and his starting job was already filled late in the season with freshman pivot Kamario Taylor.