Can North Carolina and the ACC stay bowl unbeaten?

After NC Central and East Carolina won their bowl games, the Old North State and the also 2-0 ACC will try to keep their spotless postseasons going.

The Big Four of North Carolina all qualified for bowl games from the ACC’s impressive total of nine teams that made the postseason, and it appears all nine games will be played.

A year ago, the conference also earned nine bids before BC, Virginia and NC State all had their bowl games canceled due to lingering COVID protocols. Of the six remaining ACC bowls, only Clemson and Wake Forest won — a pretty awful 2-4 result.

So far this postseason, Louisville (8-5) and Wake Forest (also 8-5) have won their bowls. The Cardinals defeated Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl in Boston, the Deacons defeated Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, with the old blueblood rivals playing their final games today.

Duke faces Central Florida in the Military Bowl in Annapolis at 2 pm on ESPN and Carolina plays Oregon in the San Diego Holiday Bowl at 8 on FOX. The Blue Devils and first-year head coach Mike Elko carry an 8-4 record into their first bowl trip since 2018, and the 9-4 Tar Heels have their fourth straight chance at winning 10 games for the first time since 2015 in their fourth straight bowl game under Mack Brown (and 37th in UNC history).

On Thursday, Syracuse (7-5) meets Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium at 2, followed by Florida State (9-3) versus Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl at 5:30, both games on ESPN.

NC State (8-4) goes against Maryland at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Friday in Charlotte at noon on ESPN, Pitt (also 8-4) plays UCLA in the Sun Bowl that kicks off at 2 on CBS, and ACC champion Clemson (11-2) takes on Tennessee in the Orange Bowl at 8 on ESPN in the Tigers’ 18th consecutive bowl.

As of this posting, no team from North Carolina or the ACC has lost a bowl game. NC Central (10-2) edged Jackson State and departing head coach Deion Sanders in double OT at the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. East Carolina (8-5) routed Coastal Carolina, whose head coach also left early in the Birmingham Bowl.

How much can the in-state and ACC schools improve on their combined 4-0 record to date?

 

Featured image via USA Today Sports/Scott Taesch

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