Despite not finishing with the traditional six wins needed to reach a bowl game, Mississippi State is heading back to the postseason for the first time in nearly three years and the first under Coach Lebby, as they are heading to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, where they will face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest out of the ACC. Might not have been expected with a 5-7 record, but with the postseason bid, Mississippi State now has a whole month to not only prepare for an opportunity against a solid Wake Forest team, but to finish out the 2025 season on a strong note by winning the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and using this as a springboard for the 2026 season where Coach Lebby and his guys could use for extra practice for next fall. 

Mississippi State finished the 2025 regular season undefeated in non-conference play with wins over Southern Miss and a top-15 home win over Arizona State, and will look to finish the season with a fifth win over a team not from the Southeastern Conference. 

On the other sideline for Wake Forest will be a familiar face for Mississippi State, as they will once again face off against Robbie Ashford, the transfer quarterback who has spent time at South Carolina, Auburn, and Oregon, before starting his college days at Hoover High in Hoover, Alabama. 

Wake Forest comes into the game with an 8-4 overall record, with four of those wins coming in the non-conference. Notable wins for the Demon Deacons include Kennesaw State, Virginia, and SMU, while the losses are the downfall of the season, losing to Florida State, Duke, Georgia Tech, and NC State. 

For Mississippi State, what we saw from KaMario Taylor against Ole Miss will likely be the game plan in the bowl game, as Coach Lebby not only tries to win a bowl game, but also uses the game as an in-game experience for the guys to build off of for next season. We’ll likely see different offensive schemes than what we saw this season, different things on defense, all the while trying to keep the focus on taking home a trophy while using it as the starting point for a breakout 2026 season. 

For those on the sideline about accepting as a 5-7 team, think about it from the perspective of the Bulldogs getting a whole extra month of practice, earning in-game playing experience, while giving Coach Lebby and the guys a bowl experience to build off for next season. These types of opportunities don’t come around often, and when they do, no team with future aspirations of taking the program to the next level should turn it down as it help build for next season. Imagine you get to bring home a trophy, then you use that trophy for motivation all offseason to accomplish bigger and better things in year three of the Jeff Lebby era in Starkville. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State Football on X