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Bowl Projections: Media Warming on Idea of Iowa State Making Florida Bowl Debut

The 28th Camping World Bowl is still two months away, but that doesn’t mean it’s 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 8.

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

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
NC State would be making their sixth appearance in the Camping World Bowl which is more than any other team in the bowl’s history

NC State vs. West Virginia

  • Rematch of our 2010 game, 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

Virginia Tech vs. Texas

  • Texas and Virginia Tech have only met once before, with Virginia Tech defeating the Longhorns in the 1995 Sugar Bowl
  • 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
  • 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

Syracuse vs. Iowa State

  • Programs have met twice before, in 1957 and 1969; Syracuse leads the series 1-0-1
  • 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 2013 Camping World Bowl, then known as the Russell Athletic Bowl, when Louisville beat Miami 36-9

Louisville vs. Texas

  • Teams have met twice before, splitting the series one game apiece.
  • Texas has not appeared in Orlando for a bowl game, but Louisville and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson did just last year in the Citrus Bowl against LSU. (The Tigers won, 29-9.)
  • The Cardinals’ only other Orlando bowl appearance was the 2013 Camping World Bowl, where they beat the Miami Hurricanes 36-9.

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 overtime 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.