Wake Forest at Mississippi State Week 1 College Football Matchup Wake Forest at Mississippi State Matchup - Week 1
Fri, Jan 2 2026 · Postseason · Neutral Site · 🏟 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC · Turf · 75,412 cap
Mississippi State✈ 469 mi+1 hr TZ
Away (Neutral)
43 29
Final
Home (Neutral)
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Wake Forest
27
Mississippi State
28
P&R Line Mississippi State -1
P&R Total O/U 54
Confidence 86 High
Vegas Mississippi State -3 · O/U 52.5
Matchup Prediction
Metrics disagree on this matchup
Momentum Control favors Mississippi State, while Game Control favors Wake Forest. Split signals historically show weaker predictive confidence — treat as a toss-up.
⚡ Split Signal — Metrics Disagree
Momentum Control
58.4%
Mississippi State wins
Lean
Game Control
64.9%
Wake Forest wins
Lean
Vegas Spread
Mississippi State -3
O/U 52.5
DraftKings
Advanced Stats
PPA + Success Rate agree → Wake Forest · 73.9% ATS historically
↓ See full breakdown
🏠 Mississippi State 2nd straight Home Game 🚌 Wake Forest 2nd straight Road Game
Wake Forest 2025 Schedule
Wake Forest's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Fri 8/29Wake Forest vs Kennesaw State-17.5W10–951.5W10–9UN
Sat 9/6Wake Forest vs Western Carolina-17.5W42–1060.5W42–10UY
Thu 9/11Wake Forest vs NC State+7.5L24–3452.5L24–34ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 9/27Wake Forest vs Georgia Tech+13.5L29–3053.5L29–30OY
Sat 10/4Wake Forest at Virginia Tech+4.5W30–2351.5W30–23OY
Sat 10/11Wake Forest at Oregon State-1.5W39–1447.5W39–14OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/25Wake Forest vs SMU+6.5W13–1253.5W13–12UY
Sat 11/1Wake Forest at Florida State+12.5L7–4250.5L7–42UN
Sat 11/8Wake Forest at Virginia+7.0W16–948.5W16–9UY
Sat 11/15Wake Forest vs North Carolina-3.5W28–1237.5W28–12OY
Sat 11/22Wake Forest vs Delaware-17.5W52–1449.5W52–14OY
Sat 11/29Wake Forest at Duke+2.5L32–4954.0L32–49ON
Fri 1/2Wake Forest vs Mississippi State+3.0W43–2952.5W43–29OY
Mississippi State 2025 Schedule
Mississippi State's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/30Mississippi State at Southern Miss-11.5W34–1759.5W34–17UY
Sat 9/6Mississippi State vs Arizona State+6.0W24–2058.5W24–20UY
Sat 9/13Mississippi State vs Alcorn State-42.5W63–056.5W63–0OY
Sat 9/20Mississippi State vs Northern Illinois-23.5W38–1048.5W38–10UY
Sat 9/27Mississippi State vs Tennessee+7.5L34–4163.5L34–41OY
Sat 10/4Mississippi State at Texas A&M+17.5L9–3157.5L9–31UN
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/18Mississippi State at Florida+9.5L21–2350.5L21–23UY
Sat 10/25Mississippi State vs Texas+8.5L38–4548.5L38–45OY
Sat 11/1Mississippi State at Arkansas+5.5W38–3566.5W38–35OY
Sat 11/8Mississippi State vs Georgia+9.5L21–4156.5L21–41ON
Sat 11/15Mississippi State at Missouri+7.5L27–4950.5L27–49ON
— Bye Week —
Fri 11/28Mississippi State vs Ole Miss+7.5L19–3862.5L19–38UN
Fri 1/2Mississippi State vs Wake Forest-3.0L29–4352.5L29–43ON
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2025 season
Wake Forest PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Wake Forest
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Wake Forest #82
+0.372
Mississippi State #90
+0.164
Wake Forest Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Wake Forest #69
+0.546
Mississippi State #93
+0.308
Wake Forest Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Wake Forest #21
0.182
Mississippi State #110
0.135
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Wake Forest Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Wake Forest #113
+6.908
Mississippi State #22
+7.651
Mississippi State Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Wake Forest #112
+0.827
Mississippi State #86
+0.766
Wake Forest Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Wake Forest #30
69.3
Mississippi State #68
71.0
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Wake Forest Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2025 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Wake Forest Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Wake Forest
4.6
Mississippi State
-2.1
Offense Rating
Wake Forest
16.6
Mississippi State
14.2
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Wake Forest
12.0
Mississippi State
16.3
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Mississippi State Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Wake Forest #42
1.00
Mississippi State #69
1.09
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Wake Forest #40
0.82
Mississippi State #74
1.00
Mississippi State +0.09
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 11 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Wake Forest Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Wake Forest #1
58.5
Mississippi State #1
44.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Wake Forest #20
27.5
Mississippi State #85
40.4
Wake Forest +14.4
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 64.9% of games historically
Based on 12 games this season
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

CSS and GC disagree on this matchup. When the metrics split, historical cover rates are essentially random — treat this as a coin flip against the spread.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Wake Forest
Jake Dickert #1
0–0 (0%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Rob Ezell Yr 1 #1
DC Scottie Hazelton Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby #1
2–10 (17%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Jeff Lebby Yr 2 #1
DC Coleman Hutzler Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself