The Bulldogs will play Wake Forest in Nashville. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The Bulldogs finished the season 7-5. Wake Forest is 6-6.

This will be the 15th straight bowl appearance for the Bulldogs.

“It’s always an exciting time getting to extend the season and play in a bowl game,” MSU head coach Mike Leach said. “I’m really proud of our team for fighting hard all season and earning a spot in the Music City Bowl. This will be a great opportunity for our guys to experience a first-class bowl in Nashville while playing a really good Wake Forest team.”

“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to compete in the Music City Bowl against a very good Wake Forest team,” MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. “Our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans are very deserving of this opportunity, and we look forward to a tremendous week in Nashville.”

Mississippi State will make its 25th all-time bowl appearance, including its 15th straight, which is the longest active streak in the SEC and tied for the fifth-longest in the nation. It marks the first time MSU has played in the Music City Bowl since 2019, when the Bulldogs beat Louisville, 31-27, to extend their streak of bowl wins to three.

Wake Forest is 6-6 and finished 3rd in the ACC. This is the first time the Demon Deacons have been to a bowl game since 2017. That year, they beat Texas A&M, 55-52, in the Belk Bowl.

The Bulldogs and Demon Deacons have met only once before, in 1957. Mississippi State won that game, 21-0, in Starkville.