Last year's loss in the Orange Bowl to Georgia Tech left a really bitter taste in the mouths of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
There aren't all that many starters left from that team, but Dak Prescott is amongst them, and he'd love nothing more than to finish his collegiate career with a victory in the Belk Bowl over the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
North Carolina State Wolfpack +5
Mississippi State Bulldogs -5
Over/Under 57.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Wolfpack were always going to be relatively big dogs in this game against a middling SEC school in spite of the fact that this is going to feel like a de facto home game in Charlotte. MSU opened up at -5 and rose quickly to -5.5, and we wouldn't be surprised to see that number reach even higher by the time toe meets leather.
The total has consistently come up as well from 57.5 to 61.
KEY MISMATCH
The best comparison the Wolfpack have to going against Prescott was their game against Deshaun Watson. Clemson's quarterback accounted for 437 yards and six TDs on the day in Raleigh to outduel Jacoby Brissett relatively comfortably.
Prescott is the same type of quarterback. He doesn't make mistakes often, he has to make things happen with his legs, and he's largely the only real notable player on his own offense.
In this case, Prescott has 3,413 yards and a 25/4 TD/INT ratio, and he also rushed for 10 TDs and led the team in rushing.
KEY STAT
-65 - The point differential for the Wolfpack in games played against teams which went to bowl games this year. We're going to talk about just how weak the rest of the NCSU schedule was in just a second, but the team went 0-5 SU in games against teams with winning records and was badly outscored along the way.
BETTING ANGLE
The Bulldogs weren't favored all that often this season, but since failing to cover in Week 1 at a Southern Miss team which ended up being a lot better than we all thought at the outset of the year, they're 4-1 ATS when laying the lumber.
Most of the spreads haven't been all that close either, as all four of the covers came by double-digits.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
You'll have to excuse Mississippi State for losing to Ole Miss and Alabama down the stretch. Aside from that, the team won its last five games, albeit against a significantly lesser schedule than you'd figure out of the SEC West.
Dan Mullen has really taken this team in stride this year, helping to build a young team around a veteran quarterback. Prescott should once again put the team on his back and be the MVP for MSU.
The Wolfpack might've won seven times this year, but those seven wins came against Syracuse, Boston College, Wake Forest, South Alabama, Old Dominion, Eastern Kentucky and Troy. It doesn't get a heck of a lot weaker than that.
Back Mississippi State in a big time way in the Belk Bowl.
Mississippi State 41, North Carolina State 17
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting every. Click here, and start wagering today! Kick off for the game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Mississippi State Bulldogs is scheduled for Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium. The duel can be seen live on ESPN.
