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Bowl Projections: NC State vs. Iowa State Remains Popular Media Pick After Week 9

The 28th Camping World Bowl is still two 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 9.

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

NC State vs. Iowa State

  • Teams have only met once previously on the gridiron, in the 1977 Peach Bowl; NC State won 24-14
  • This would not only be the Cyclones’ first appearance in the Camping World Bowl, but their first-ever appearance in a Florida bowl game
  • 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 season, both teams are ranked in the top 30 in the nation in rushing — NC State at No. 19 and Iowa State at No. 28
  • They also both have some of the best turnover margins in the FBS as the Wolfpack are tied for 14th at +0.88 per game and the Cyclones are tied for eighth at +1.25

Virginia Tech vs. Iowa State

  • This would be the first meeting between programs
  • Virginia Tech appeared in the 2012 Camping World Bowl, a 13-10 overtime 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
  • In this matchup, Iowa State would likely need to rely on its passing offense, ranked 35th nationally (269.4 yards per game), as Virginia Tech’s No. 13 rushing defense is allowing just 110.8 yards per game on the ground. (Iowa State currently averages 112.9 yards per game on the ground, 117th out of 129 teams.)
  • The Cyclones’ total defense (347.5 yards per game) against the Hokies’ total offense (446.5) would be an interesting matchup, as both are ranked 32nd among FBS teams.
Game program from the 21st annual Cotton Bowl in 1957 which featured the only game Syracuse has played against TCU

Syracuse vs. TCU

  • Teams have only met once, in the 1957 Cotton Bowl — a 28-27 TCU victory
  • The Syracuse Orange football program has appearance once in the Camping World Bowl, a 51-14 loss to Georgia Tech in 2004
  • Other than the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Syracuse has played in seven other Florida bowl games — including the program’s first ever bowl appearance, in the 1953 Orange Bowl, a 61-6 loss to Alabama
  • The Horned Frogs have never appeared in a Camping World Bowl and have only played in one Florida Bowl game, the 1942 Orange Bowl — a 40-26 loss to Georgia
  • Both offenses are fairly equal with Syracuse averaging 455 yards of total offense per game and TCU with 446.4 yards, however TCU’s 10th-ranked defense (286.8 yards allowed per game) could pose problems for the Orange

Miami vs. Texas

  • Have split four previous meetings, 2-2, and have not met since the 1991 Cotton Bowl, which was a 46-3 blowout of the Longhorns
  • Miami has a 3-2 record playing in the Camping World Bowl and is tied with NC State for the most appearances the bowl’s history
  • 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
  • Miami is stronger through the air than on the ground offensively, averaging 298.1 passing yards per game to 167.4 on the ground; ; Texas is allowing just 109.6 yards per game on the ground this year, but has struggled in coverage, allowing 261.1 passing yards per game.
  • Texas also has a strong pass offense, averaging 278.4 yards per game, but would face a stiff test in Miami, which has intercepted 11 passes in seven games and allows 197.7 passing yards per contest
Virginia Tech playing in the 2016 ACC Championship at Camping World Stadium, a 42-35 Clemson win

Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State

  • The teams have split their head-to-head series all-time, 1-1, with the most recent meeting coming in 1972
  • Virginia Tech’s only appearance in the Camping World Bowl was its OT victory in 2012 — the only overtime game in the bowl’s history
  • 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
  • The Hokies vs. the Cowboys would be a matchup of strengths; Oklahoma State ranks fourth nationally at 44.5 points per game, while Virginia Tech trails only Alabama in scoring defense, allowing just 11.5 points per game

NC State vs. Oklahoma State

  • Programs have not met on the gridiron
  • Matchup has only been projected one prior time this season, by ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura after Week 6
  • The Cowboys average 569.3 yards per game through Week 9, third in FBS, including 370.6 passing yards, which ranks second nationally; NC State, meanwhile, allows 264.1 passing yards per contest, which ranks 108th in the country
  • Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph leads all of FBS in passing yards (2,886) and passing yards per game (358.3), while wideout James Washington ranks second nationally in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (1,005 and 125.6, respectively) and has hauled in eight touchdown passes, which ranks second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally.
  • NC State quarterback Ryan Finley’s interception against Notre Dame in Week 9 was his first pick since Nov. 19 of last season, ending a streak of 339 consecutive pass attempts without an INT