Bowl Projections: Virginia Tech and Texas Among Popular Picks After Wild Week 6

The 28th Camping World Bowl is still a few months away, but it’s never too early to start predicting which ACC and Big 12 teams might be headed to Orlando. Here’s a round-up of projections from around the college football media world through Week 6.

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN): NC State vs. Oklahoma State
David M. Hale (ESPN): Virginia Tech vs. Texas
Eric Single (Sports Illustrated): Wake Forest vs. Texas Tech
Jerry Palm (CBSSports.com): Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma
Bill Bender (Sporting News): Florida State vs. Oklahoma State
Jason Kirk (SB Nation): Florida State vs. Texas
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): Virginia Tech vs. Texas
CollegeFootballNews.com: NC State vs. West Virginia
Brett McMurphy: Notre Dame vs. West Virginia

NC State vs. Oklahoma State

• Programs have not met on the gridiron
• NC State has appeared in the Camping World Bowl five times — tied with Miami for the bowl record — and holds a 3-2 record in those games
• This would be Oklahoma State’s first appearance in the Camping World Bowl and fourth appearance in a Florida bowl game, including the 1976 Citrus Bowl — known at the time as the Tangerine Bowl. The Cowboys beat BYU 49-21 in that game.

  

Virginia Tech vs. Texas

• The only repeat matchup in this week’s media projections
• Texas and Virginia Tech have only met once before, with Virginia Tech defeating the Longhorns in the 1995 Sugar Bowl
• Texas has traveled to Florida for three previous bowl games — the last was the 1974 Gator Bowl — and would be making its debut in the Camping World Bowl

Wake Forest vs. Texas Tech

• Programs met twice previously in the 1940s, with Texas Tech emerging victorious both times
• Wake Forest has yet to play in the Camping World Bowl, but made an appearance in the 1979 Citrus Bowl, where the Demon Deacons fell 34-10 to LSU
• Texas Tech’s only prior appearance in the bowl came in 2002, when current head coach Kliff Kingsbury led the Red Raiders to a 55-15 victory over Clemson, earning MVP honors

Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma

• Programs have met one time previously, a 27-17 Sooners victory in September 1991
• Virginia Tech appeared in the 2012 Camping World Bowl, a 13-10 win over Rutgers, and also visited Orlando for the 2016 ACC Championship Game at Camping World Stadium, a 2000 road game against UCF and a 1991 neutral-site game against top-ranked Florida State
• Oklahoma also appeared once previously in the Camping World Bowl, losing 40-6 to Clemson in the 2014 edition

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State

• Florida State has won four of five previous meetings between the school
• Oklahoma State’s only win over the Seminoles was in the 1958 Bluegrass Bowl
• Their most recent matchup was in 2014, when the Cowboys opened their season against Jameis Winston and the reigning national champs at AT&T Stadium in Dallas; Florida State won, 37-31

Florida State vs. Texas

• The Seminoles and Longhorns have never squared off on the gridiron
• Florida State has made three prior appearances in the Camping World Bowl, their last visit coming in 2011, when they knocked off Notre Dame 18-14

  

NC State vs. West Virginia

• Rematch of our 2010 matchup, which saw a Russell Wilson-led NC State top West Virginia, 23-7
• All-time series tied 5-5; NC State has won past three meetings
• Mountaineers’ last victory in the series came in 1975 Peach Bowl
• West Virginia has made four appearances in the game, trailing only NC State and Miami

Notre Dame vs. West Virginia

• Notre Dame leads the all-time series 4-0, starting with a 34-21 win in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl
• The last time the programs met was in South Bend in 2001, a 34-24 victory for Notre Dame
• The Irish have appeared in the Camping World Bowl once, in 2011, and have also played a pair of neutral-site games at Camping World Stadium, most recently against Navy in 2000