Wake Forest Demon Deacons Bowl Game History

Wake Forest had a bit of a letdown regular season, going 7-5 overall. Demon Deacon fans had hopes of contending for the ACC title. Wake Forest proved in an early season double overtime loss to eventual ACC champion Clemson that, at its best, it could have challenged for the championship. 

The Demon Deacons have one more game and a chance to end the season on a high note in their bowl game. Wake Forest will play in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Friday, Dec. 23, at 6:30 p.m. in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium. The Demon Deacons will be facing the Missouri Tigers.

Wake Forest VS. Missouri Betting Odds

Missouri had a surprising season as well, but for the Tigers, it was positive as they had multiple upset wins. Just qualifying for a bowl game was a significant accomplishment. 

College bowl game odds in NC have Wake Forest favored by one point or 1.5 points in the Gasparilla Bowl, with a point total of over 60 at the top online sportsbooks. It should make for a fun bowl game with plenty of offensive firepower.

SportsbookPoint SpreadMoneylineTotal Points
DraftKings Sportsbook NCWake Forest -1 (-110)
Missouri +1 (-110)
Wake Forest (-115)
Missouri (-105)
Over 60.5 (-110)
Under 60.5 (-110)
Caesars Sportsbook NCWake Forest -1 (-110)
Missouri +1 (-110)
Wake Forest (-115)
Missouri (-105)
Over 60.5 (-110)
Under 60.5 (-110)
FanDuel Sportsbook NCWake Forest -1.5 (-105)
Missouri +1.5 (-115)
Wake Forest (-120)
Missouri (+100)
Over 60.5 (-105)
Under 60.5 (-115)
BetMGM NC SportsbookWake Forest -1 (-110)
Missouri +1 (-110)
Wake Forest (-115)
Missouri (-105)
Over 61 (-110)
Under 61 (-110)
PointsBet NC SportsbookWake Forest -1 (-110)
Missouri +1 (-110)
Wake Forest (-120)
Missouri (+100)
Over 60.5 (-110)
Under 60.5 (-110)

Point Spread

Most sportsbooks point spreads favor Wake Forest by a single point. That can be considered a surprise, given the Tigers lost four out of their last five games during the regular season. The best value is at FanDuel with -105 odds, but the point spread is -1.5. It is one of the few sportsbooks over 1 point.

Moneyline

The moneyline may be the way to go considering the line is so small. The best value for Wake Forest bettors is -115 at DraftKings SportsbookCaesars Sportsbook, and BetMGM North Carolina sportsbook. Remember, this line could remain in flux as both teams have players in the transfer portal skipping the bowl game and injury concerns at key positions.

Total Points

The over/under is 60.5 or 61 points, with the best value for the Under coming at -110 at multiple sportsbooks. The best value for the Over is at FanDuel with -105. Each team averages more than 25 points scored per game, and bowl games are often high scoring, especially in lesser bowl games where the teams are not playing for anything other than pride.

Wake Forest Bowl Game History

Wake Forest has played in 16 bowl games in program history, and the Demon Deacons have an all-time bowl game record of 10-6.

Season YearBowl GameResultOpponent
2006Orange BowlL 24–13Louisville Cardinals
2007Meineke Car Care BowlW 24–10Connecticut Huskies
2008EagleBank BowlW 29–19Navy Midshipmen
2011Music City BowlL 23–17Mississippi State Bulldogs
2016Military BowlW 34–26Temple Owls
2017Belk BowlW 55–52Texas A&M Aggies
2018Birmingham BowlW 37–34Memphis Tigers
2019Pinstripe BowlL 21–27Michigan State Spartans
2020Duke's Mayo BowlL 28–42Wisconsin Badgers
2021Gator BowlW 38–10Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Demon Deacon Bowl Game Fun Facts

  • Wake Forest is 6-4 in its last 10 bowl games.
  • Wake Forest is 4-2 in bowl games during Dave Clawson’s tenure.
  • The Gasparilla Bowl has had several names in its history magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl, Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl. It became the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in 2020.
  • Neither Missouri nor Wake Forest has ever played in the Gasparilla Bowl.

The most exciting bowl game in Wake Forest history has to be their 2018 shootout with Texas A&M. The Demon Deacons beat the Aggies 55-52 in the Belk Bowl. Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns.

The Demon Deacons’ biggest bowl win in program history has to be their 2021 Gator Bowl domination of Rutgers. The win moved Wake Forest to 10-3, one of the best records for a single season in program history.

While Wake Forest fans won’t be able to bet on any of this year’s college bowl games, North Carolina online sports betting is coming to the state in early 2024.

AP Photo/Chuck Burton

About the Author

Caleb Tallman

Caleb Tallman is a Journalist working with NC Sharp and has been writing sports and sports gambling content since 2019. Caleb has also written for various other publications, mainly as a ghostwriter. With solid experience and a wealth of sports gambling knowledge, whether legal information or betting predictions, Caleb provides everything sports bettors could be looking for.