NC State vs. Wake Forest Anytime Touchdown Scorer Predictions, Odds for College Football Week 3
Oddsmakers are expecting fireworks Thursday night at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., which sets the stage for our NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown scorer predictions.
As part of our college football picks, I’m backing a trio of anytime TD scorers in this 7:30 p.m. ET ACC showdown on ESPN, with NC State entering as a 7.5-point road favorite at most sportsbooks.
Looking for more? Don’t miss our full college football predictions for Week 3’s best bets, totals, and player props.
🏈 NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown scorer predictions
College football touchdown scorer picks made Thursday; odds subject to change.
- Demond Claiborne to score anytime TD (-125 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- CJ Bailey to score anytime TD (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
- Hollywood Smothers to score first-half TD (+110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐
💰 Best NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown scorer bets
Here are my favorite NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown scorer picks based on the best college football odds for Week 3.
🔥 Demond Claiborne (-125) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Usually not a fan of laying this kind of price on college football props, I’m making an exception here for two reasons. First, the -125 odds at bet365 are a steal considering this same prop at some of the other best sports betting sites range from -145 to -165.
Second, Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne has a nose for the goal line.
The speedy tailback proved as much last week when he scored three times (on just 10 carries) against Western Carolina. And he proved it to NC State last season when he scored three times - two rushing, one receiving - in Wake Forest’s 34-30 upset victory.
Since the start of last season, Claiborne has 16 rushing and receiving touchdowns in 14 games - scoring at least once eight times. He’s facing a Wolfpack defense that yielded three ground scores to Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor last week.
This prop’s implied win probability is 55.56%, and a $10 wager would return $8.
🔥 CJ Bailey (-110) ⭐⭐⭐
NC State quarterback CJ Bailey doesn’t exactly qualify as a dual-threat quarterback in the traditional sense. In a dozen starts as a freshman last year, he had just 279 rushing yards (and five touchdowns) on 99 carries.
However, Bailey started at a quicker pace in 2025, with 65 rushing yards on 13 carries. More importantly, as it pertains to this NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown prediction prop, Bailey has hit pay dirt three times. He scored once in the season opener against East Carolina and twice in last week’s 35-31 win over Virginia.
FanDuel is offering -110 odds on both sides of this prop, which equates to a 52.38% win probability. If you tail this play and Bailey finds the end zone against Wake Forest, you’d clear $9.09 on a $10 bet.
🔥 Hollywood Smothers to score first-half touchdown (+110) ⭐⭐
I expect NC State running back Hollywood Smothers to find the end zone Thursday night at Wake Forest.
The problem is, oddsmakers and bettors expect the same thing, which is why his anytime touchdown odds are as high as -300. That’s way too steep a price. So I’m going to roll the dice on the third-year sophomore to scoot across the goal line before halftime.
DraftKings offers +110 odds on Smothers to score a first-half TD. For what it’s worth, Smothers has scored all three of his touchdowns this season in the third quarter.
In fact, nine of his 11 TDs since the start of last season have come in the second half. Hey, means he’s due to get on the board early, right?
This play has an implied win probability of 47.62%, with a $10 wager paying $11.
📈 NC State vs. Wake Forest anytime TD scorer odds
Our college football player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.
📺 NC State vs. Wake Forest game info
- When: Thursday, Sept. 11
- Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
- How to watch: ESPN
❓College football betting FAQs
What are the best NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown scorer picks?
The best NC State vs. Wake Forest touchdown scorer picks are on Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey and Demon Deacons running back Demond Claiborne to score at any point in the game, and NC State running back Hollywood Smothers to cross the goal line in the first half.
What does anytime touchdown scorer mean?
An anytime touchdown scorer bet in college football betting means you're wagering on a player to score a touchdown at any point during the game (excluding passing TDs). It's one of the most popular college football prop bets.
What does anytime touchdown scorer mean for a QB?
An anytime touchdown scorer bet for a quarterback means the QB must run or catch a touchdown - passing touchdowns don’t count. It's a popular college football prop bet for mobile or trick-play QBs.
Does a 2-point conversion count as a touchdown?
No, a 2-point conversion does not count as an anytime touchdown scorer. Only touchdowns scored in regulation or overtime count for this college football prop bet.
How do college football touchdown scorer bets work?
There are multiple different ways to make your college football touchdown scorer predictions. You can wager on a player to score an anytime touchdown, which pays out if they reach the end zone at any point for a touchdown. You can also bet on a player to score the first or last touchdown, multiple touchdowns, or to score in a particular half or quarter for larger payouts.
You can determine the payouts and implied probabilities for any wager - or convert odds to different formats - with our odds converter.
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