It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest including some mayonnaise:
2026 Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Matchup: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Date: Friday, Jan. 2, 2026
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, N.C.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is perhaps the weirdest of the bowl games, with the winning team’s celebration including a chance to dump mayonnaise on its head coach.
Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck got the bath in 2024. South Carolina’s Shane Beamer started the tradition in 2021. Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz broke the glass trophy in 2020.
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I’d make sure not to miss this one…
Team Overviews
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Jeff Lebby
Record: 8-4
Mississippi State is headed in the right direction, improving from 2-10 in 2024 to 5-7 in 2025 while boasting wins over Arizona State and Arkansas.
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The Bulldogs made the difficult decision to bench veteran quarterback Blake Shapen to freshman Kamario Taylor — which should be the right move as they look to continue improving in 2026.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Jake Dickert
Record: 8-4
Wake Forest was one of the many teams who had a case to be included in the 2025 ACC Championship Game, but ultimately were not included after losing conference games to NC State, No. 16 Georgia Tech, Florida State and Duke.
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The Demon Deacons have flirted with quarterback changes, as well, starting both veteran Robby Ashford and youngster Deshawn Purdie.
Players to Watch
Mississippi State
QB Kamario Taylor
RB Fluff Bothwell
RB Davon Booth
WR Anthony Evans III
WR Brenen Thompson
TE Seydou Traore
LB Nic Mitchell
LB Malick Sylla
DB Brylan Lanier
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Wake Forest
QB Robby Ashford
QB Deshawn Purdie
WR Chris Barnes
LB Langston Hardy
LB Dylan Hazen
Key Notes
Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby is down for the mayp bath, folks!
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Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: Mississippi State -3 | O/U 53.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Mississippi State -3.5 | O/U 53.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Mississippi State -3 | O/U 53.5
The Pick: Over 53.5
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Featured image via Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger/Imagn Images
