NC State vs. Wake Forest Picks and Prediction, Thursday, September 11, 2025
The NC State Wolfpack (2-0) and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0) will put their early-season undefeated records on the line in this ACC matchup Thursday night in this NC State vs. Wake Forest Prediction. These teams met last season, with Wake Forest winning 34-30 on the road. NC State is coming off a four-point home win over Virginia, while Wake just easily won by 32 at home against Western Carolina. Kickoff is set for 7:30 EST and can be found on ESPN. See below for our NC State vs. Wake Forest prediction, and check out all of our best NCAAF Predictions!
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NC State Opens Strong
The NC State Wolfpack already had an early-season ACC matchup take place, and they came away with a win as they took down Virginia to begin conference play with a 35-31 win. The Wolfpack were bowl eligible last season, but lost to East Carolina in the Military Bowl to end their year. So far in 2025, they got revenge against East Carolina by winning by seven at home in the opening week, before moving to 2-0 against Virginia.
Dave Doeren is in his 13th year as the head coach of NC State after taking over in 2013. His record with the Wolfpack is 87-65, but he has never been able to truly get to the top of the conference, as he is still looking for his first ACC Championship. CJ Bailey took over midway through last season as a 6'6 true freshman and will now get the opportunity to have a full season at the helm. Through two games, he has 518 passing yards with a 2-1 TD-INT ratio. Hollywood Smothers has been their lead tailback; the 5'11 sophomore ran for 571 yards last year as a freshman and already has 216 and three touchdowns through two games this year.
Wesley Grimes has been their top receiver so far, and this game will be meaningful for him as he played his first two seasons with Wake Forest. Grimes is now a 6'2 senior leading the way with six catches for 154 yards and a touchdown. Caden Fordham has made his impact known on the defensive side, the linebacker leads the team with 20 tackles and has a sack.
Demon Deacon's First Test
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are also 2-0 on the season, but their path has been slightly easier. This will be their first ACC game of the year, as they took down Kennesaw State and Western Carolina easily to start the year. Wake has Jake Dickert taking over in his first season as their head coach, but he comes over after leading Washington State for the past two seasons, including one year with Cam Ward, who eventually went on to become the number one pick.
Dickert now has a different quarterback, as Robby Ashford has led Wake to their first two wins from the QB spot. Ashford is a 6'2 senior who is on his third team as he started off with Auburn, moved to South Carolina and is now with Wake Forest. Ashford has not thrown more than 35 passes in either of his last two seasons, but is off to a strong start with Wake as he has 445 yards through two games. He has also rushed for 108 total yards in those two games, with Demond Claiborne leading the way with 212 yards on the ground on just 13 carries with three touchdowns.
Chris Barnes is a speedy wideout. He followed his coach over from Washington State, where he redshirted last season, and has been the top receiver for Wake so far this year. The 5'7 redshirt freshman has nine receptions for 172 yards on the year. Langston Hardy has been in the opposing backfield plenty already; the junior edge rusher already has 2.5 sacks on the season.
NC State vs. Wake Forest Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Earle Sports Bets | +2,298.00 |
| 2 |  Ross Benjamin | +1,840.00 |
| 3 |  Rob Vincilleti | +1,757.00 |
| 4 |  David Hess | +1,745.00 |
| 5 |  Dan Kaiser | +987.00 |
Spread Pick for NC State vs. Wake Forest
- Wake Forest +7.5 (5 units)
How much are we really going to overhype NC State's win over Virginia? That is the big difference in the scheduling here, but beating the Cavaliers at home by four is not a very impressive win. NC State is playing their first true road game, and the lights will be bright in this standalone ESPN game. Wake Forest won their first two games by a wide margin; the competition wasn't great, but we cannot blame a team for winning big. NC State, meanwhile, won in one-score games in both of its first two. Ashford is a veteran quarterback; he learned from his long career in the SEC and will now be able to put on a show in his first big game at Wake. Dickert led Washington State to success over the past two years, taking the points with the Deacons and getting a cover.
Take Wake Forest with the points.
Over/Under Pick for NC State vs. Wake Forest
- Under 52.5 (4 units)
Wake Forest is playing their first ACC game this season, as Coach Dickert will also be making his ACC debut. Wake Forest are 7.5-point underdogs; expect them to try to slow this game down, limit possessions, and keep it close throughout the duration of the game. Each team has relied on their run game early, as both teams have a running back who has eclipsed 200 yards so far this year. Expect the offenses to lean into the run game here as they feel out their opponents. Ashford gets his first big game start for Wake; he will not be asked to air it out consistently. This will be a ground and pound game that will be closer than the experts think.
Take the under.
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