Sophomore quarterback Tanner Price leads Wake Forest against Mississippi State in the 2011 Music City Bowl on Friday night.
After a 3-9 season in 2010, very few people foresaw the climb that saw the Demon Deacons come within one field goal of reaching the ACC Championship Game.
But the Deacons (6-6) won five games in ACC play, nearly defeated Clemson for the ACC Atlantic Division title and qualified for postseason play for the first time in three seasons. Oddly enough, after four losses in its last five games, Wake Forest is probably upset that it took a late-season win against Maryland to garner bowl eligibility.
Mississippi State (6-6) beat Mississippi on the last day of the regular season, 31-3, to qualify for the postseason. The Bulldogs had a series of high-quality defeats during the regular season, including losses to Alabama and LSU, who will meet for the national championship.
Game: Music City Bowl
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, 6:40 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN/ESPN3
Betting Odds: Mississippi State by 7
-- For more Wake Forest football coverage, visit our team page or our blog Blogger So Dear. For more Mississippi State football coverage, visit our team page or our blog For Whom the Cowbell Tolls.
-- See complete college football coverage at the SB Nation College Football Hub Page.