Four of North Carolina’s FBS teams found out where they will play their bowl games over the weekend, and NC State, UNC, Duke and Appalachian State will all stay in the Southeast for their postseason games.
Appalachian State vs. Miami (Ohio)
Cure Bowl • Orlando, Florida Dec. 16, 3:30 p.m.
Appalachian State ended the regular season with five straight wins but lost its bid for a fifth Sun Belt Championship title after suffering a 49-23 defeat at Troy.
The Mountaineers reached the conference championship on a technicality, finishing second in the Sun Belt’s East division behind James Madison. The Dukes were not eligible to play in the conference championship due to NCAA rules on teams that have recently moved up to FBS.
App State will meet MAC champions Miami (Ohio) in Orlando for the first meeting between the schools.
The Mountaineers, who will play in the Cure Bowl for the first time, are 6-1 all time in bowl games. App won its bowl in each of its first six eligible seasons, but the Mountaineers lost 59-38 to Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl in 2021 and didn’t earn a postseason berth last season.
Duke vs. Troy
Birmingham Bowl • Birmingham, Alabama • Dec. 23, noon
After a tremendous start to the season that saw them ranked as high as No. 16, the Blue Devils faltered after starting quarterback Riley Leonard was injured at the end of Duke’s Week 5 home loss to Notre Dame.
Duke will face the Sun Belt Champion Troy Trojans, who the Blue Devils have played and beaten twice, in 2013 and 2014.
The Blue Devils have never played in the Birmingham Bowl, which usually has ties to the SEC, AAC, MAC and C-USA. Duke is 7-8 all time in bowl games but has won their last four appearances.
The Blue Devils will be coached in the bowl game by interim coach Trooper Taylor after head coach Mike Elko left to take the Texas A&M job following two seasons in Durham.
Any hopes that Leonard would return for the bowl were squashed when the star quarterback announced he was entering the transfer portal. He joins defensive standout Aeneas Peebles in looking for a new home.
UNC vs. West Virginia
Duke’s Mayo Bowl • Charlotte • Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m.
Midway through the season, the Tar Heels looked to be on their way to a New Year’s Six bowl berth — some even thought the College Football Playoff was within reach — but a couple of tough losses saw their season quickly unravel. Now, UNC will settle for the nearby Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte to cap off its season where it began.
The Tar Heels will face West Virginia, which finished the season 8-4 and was tied for fourth in the Big 12. The teams have split their two previous meetings.
UNC is 1-4 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, including losing 31-30 to West Virginia in the 2008 iteration, the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Tar Heels are 15-22 all time in bowl games and have a 4-5 record under coach Mack Brown, including 1-3 in his second stint with the team.
The question for UNC: Will potential lottery pick quarterback Drake Maye play? Many have Maye projected as a top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft, but he has not decided whether he’ll suit up one more time for the Tar Heels.
UNC will be without two of Maye’s top targets, Tychaun Chapman and Kamari Morales, who both entered the transfer portal.
No. 18 NC State vs. No. 25 Kansas State
Pop-Tarts Bowl • Orlando, Florida • Dec. 28, 5:45 p.m.
After salvaging their season with five straight wins, the No. 18-ranked Wolfpack will face No. 25 Kansas State in the newly named Pop-Tarts Bowl (formerly the Cheez-It Bowl).
NC State has had five appearances in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, albeit under different names, and are 3-2 in those games. In bowl games under coach Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack are 3-4, and NC State is 17-16-1 all time.
This will be the first meeting between the Wolfpack and Wildcats. Kansas State finished 8-4 and tied for fourth in the Big 12.
All eyes will be on standout NC State linebacker Payton Wilson, a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award as the NCAA’s top defensive player. Wilson could opt out of the game to avoid injury ahead of next year’s NFL Draft, but he could also want to help the Wolfpack win an elusive 10th game of the season and add to his legacy.
Notable absences for NC State include defensive lineman C.J. Clark and wide receiver Terrell Timmons, who both entered the transfer portal.
Kansas State starting quarterback Will Howard and running back Treshaun Ward also entered the portal.
