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NC State opens as touchdown favorite at Wake Forest

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman09/08/25fleischman_noah
Terrell Anderson
Sep 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack wide receiver Terrell Anderson (9) runs with the football during the first half of the game against Virginia Cavaliers at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

After winning a pair of one-possession games to open the 2025 campaign, NC State is ready to begin ACC play. The Wolfpack is set to travel to Wake Forest for a Thursday night showdown (7:30 p.m., ESPN) as it looks for its third consecutive victory to begin the fall. 

And the Pack will do so as a 7-point favorite over the Demon Deacons, according to the opening line at BetMGM.

NC State is 1-1 against the spread this season. The Wolfpack covered in its Week 2 win over Virginia, a 35-31 victory as a 3-point favorite,  but it didn’t win by two touchdowns against ECU with a 24-17 result as a 13.5-point favorite. 

Wake Forest, meanwhile, is also 1-1 against the spread this season. It didn’t cover an 18.5-point advantage in its 10-9 win over Kennesaw State to open the campaign, but it did win by more than 17.5 points in its 42-10 victory over Western Carolina this past weekend. 

As the two teams prepare for this week’s meeting, NC State is looking to earn just its fourth win at Allegacy Stadium since 2001. It hasn’t been a kind venue to the Wolfpack, but as the Demon Deacons enter the game with first-year coach Jake Dickert, the tide could turn at the program’s House of Horrors. 

If it does, it will likely stem via another standout performance from sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey. The signal-caller has thrown for 518 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, while he has rushed for 65 yards and three more scores. 

Although Bailey has been one of the stars of the first two games, he isn’t alone. Redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers has racked up 216 rushing yards with three scores while averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. Senior wideout Wesley Grimes is pacing the receiving corps with 154 yards and a score on just six receptions. 

Defensively, graduate linebacker Caden Fordham has logged 20 total tackles with a sack, while fellow linebacker Sean Brown has 19 stops. Graduate outside linebacker Cian Slone has the lone forced turnover for the Wolfpack with his game-sealing interception in the victory over Virginia.

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