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NC State

Updating NC State’s bowl projections at the conclusion of the regular season

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman11/29/23fleischman_noah
Dave Doeren
Nov 4, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren (center) lead his team onto the field prior to a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

No. 19 NC State extended its winning streak to five games with a 39-20 win over North Carolina this past weekend at Carter-Finley Stadium. At the end of the regular season, NC State’s new bowl projections include the Gator, Pop-Tarts and ReliaQuest Bowls. 

This is the first week where the Wolfpack’s bowl destinations are starting to take a consistent shape among the national experts. Most outlets have the red and white playing in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 28. 

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Fox Sports, USA Today and Yahoo Sports have the Wolfpack playing against Oklahoma State, which is set to play against Texas in the Big 12 championship game this weekend. It would be the first-ever meeting between the Cowboys and the Wolfpack. 

While those four outlets have the Pack meeting Oklahoma State, the Action Network and Athlon Sports have NC State playing against Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. It would also be the first-ever meeting between the Pack and the Wildcats. 

The other Pop-Tarts Bowl projection was from The Athletic, which featured the Wolfpack playing against West Virginia at Camping World Stadium. This would be the 12th all-time meeting between the two programs should the matchup take place. The Mountaineers won the last meeting, 44-27 in Morgantown, W.Va., in 2019.

The winning team of the Pop-Tarts Bowl will be able to eat the first-ever “edible mascot” on the field in Orlando.

Outside of the Pop-Tarts Bowl projections, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has the Wolfpack playing Tennessee in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 29. That would mark the fifth meeting between the two programs, which are also set to meet in the Duke’s Mayo Kickoff next September in Charlotte. 

Rounding out this week’s bowl projections is CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm, who has the Wolfpack in the ReliaQuest Bowl — formerly the Outback Bowl — against LSU in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 1. 

NC State has appeared in 34 bowl games since 1946, including 16 since 2000. Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren is 3-4 in his seven bowl appearances at the helm of the red and white, and his last postseason victory came in the 2017 Sun Bowl, a 52-31 win over Arizona State.  

Since Doeren took over as the Pack’s coach, NC State has played in the Gator Bowl twice, with losses to Kentucky in 2021 and Texas A&M in 2018. His teams have also appeared in the Independence Bowl, Belk Bowl and St. Petersburg Bowl. 

The Wolfpack has most commonly played in the Peach Bowl with seven previous appearances, but it has not appeared in that contest since 1994. NC State has played in the Tangerine Bowl — which is currently called Pop-Tarts — three times in program history and it is 2-1 with wins over Pitt (1978) and Kansas (2003). 

NC State has not appeared in the ReliaQuest Bowl in program history, and if it were selected for that contest, it would be the Pack’s first game in that contest.

The Wolfpack will find out where it is headed after the College Football Playoff’s final rankings are released following the conference championship game weekend. All bowl matchups and locations will be released on Dec. 3. 

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