NC State football bowl projections: Final update ahead of Selection Sunday

Selection Sunday has arrived. Although NC State isn’t a contender to make the College Football Playoff, the 12-team field could play a factor in the team’s bowl selection as the Wolfpack eagerly awaits its postseason destination. 

After all, it’s the sixth straight season that the Pack (7-5, 4-4 ACC) has qualified for a bowl game under coach Dave Doeren, the longest such streak in program history under one coach. In all, it marks the 11th appearance in the 13th-year coach’s tenure in Raleigh. 

As NC State waits for its postseason bid to be announced Sunday, several experts around the country have tabbed the Wolfpack to appear in one of four bowls in their final projections: Duke’s Mayo, Fenway, Gasparilla or Military. 

The Gasparilla Bowl, which is set for Dec. 19 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., was the Wolfpack’s most-common selection. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and The Athletic predicted NC State would face off with UConn, while Athlon Sports placed Memphis as the opponent in the Sunshine State.

While the Gasparilla Bowl was a popular selection, the Fenway Bowl has been one of the most-projected destinations since the Pack achieved postseason eligibility this fall. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and On3’s Brett McMurphy both projected the Pack to play Army at the home of the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 27.

If NC State were to play in the Fenway Bowl, it wouldn’t be the first time Doeren took the Wolfpack into a baseball stadium for a postseason contest. He guided the Pack to a 34-27 win over UCF in the 2014 St. Petersburg Bowl, which was held at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In addition to the more-common contests, USA Today placed NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against UConn on Jan. 2 in Charlotte, while CBS Sports had the Wolfpack making a return trip to the Military Bowl to square off with Navy on Dec. 27 in Annapolis, Md.

The Pack has appeared in nine bowl games (qualified for 10, but the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within UCLA’s program) under Doeren, but NC State has not won in the postseason since it beat Arizona State 52-31 in the 2017 Sun Bowl. The Wolfpack most recently lost the 2024 Military Bowl to ECU in 26-21 fashion at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

NC State has also played in the Belk, Duke’s Mayo, Gator, Independence and Pop-Tarts Bowls during Doeren’s tenure.