The Kennesaw State Owls will begin their second season of FBS football when they take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Friday night. Wake Forest is a huge favorite to start their season with a win here. But their performance at home last season is a reminder that there are no sure things in college football. Before kickoff from Winston-Salem, continue reading to get my Kennesaw State vs Wake Forest prediction.
Our Kennesaw State vs Wake Forest Pick
- Pick: Wake Forest –17.5
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Kennesaw State vs Wake Forest
- Date & Time: Friday, August 29, 2025, 7:00 PM
- Venue: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC
- Broadcast: ACC Network
Kennesaw State vs Wake Forest Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest –17.5 | Wake –1200 / Kennesaw +700 | 51.5 |
Key Storylines
- Wake Forest enters the season under new head coach Jake Dickert. They are looking to build momentum early in Dickert’s tenure as head coach.
- Kennesaw State is in just its second season at the FBS level after going 2-10 overall and 2-6 in Conference USA last season.
- Kennesaw State managed a shock win over Liberty last year and will try to pull off another huge upset in this game.
- Wake Forest opens the season with transfer QB Robby Ashford under center. Ashford has a ton of experience at other power conference programs and will look to make the most of this opportunity.
- Wake has underwhelmed ATS as heavy favorites before. But opening week jitters favor the more established team maintaining order against a team that is still new to FBS ball.
Quarterback Play
Robby Ashford is a transfer with limited success to date. But he will start under center for Wake Forest in his fourth program. He has previously spent time at Oregon, Auburn, and South Carolina and has 11 starts in the SEC under his belt. Kennesaw State’s signal-caller is Dexter Williams II. Williams is a transfer from Indiana and Georgia State. He will try to make an immediate impact for his new team against another transfer quarterback.
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first time that Kennesaw State and Wake Forest have ever played in college football against one another.
- Wake was 0-5 SU and 0-5 ATS in its last five home games. Even if they have the talent edge here there are no guarantees.
Kennesaw State vs Wake Forest Model Projection
Score Projection: Wake Forest 35 – Kennesaw State 10
Win Probability: Wake Forest 85%, Kennesaw State 15%
Final Thoughts
Wake Forest should handle Kennesaw State with relative ease in Week 1. The Demon Deacons’ have superior talent and should win the battle in the trenches against a team that wasn’t fully recruited to be an FBS football team. I’ll lay the points with Wake Forest here as they should make easy work of the Owls to start their 2025 campaign.
