Duke, ECU, NC State, UNC – Bowl Matchups, Dates, TV
Now that the inaugural College Football Playoff bracket has been set, everyone outside of the top 4 have received their postseason fates. In the Tar Heel State, four of the five FBS programs will be featured in bowl season in some intriguing matchups, to say the least.
Quick Lane Bowl
Dec. 26, 2014
4:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
The Heels most likely snagged the most manageable matchup, taking on the 7-5 Scarlet Knights from the Big Ten. UNC will have to get offense going early and the secondary needs to be able to stop All-B1G receiver Leonte Carroo in order to have a shot.
Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
Dec. 26, 2014
8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
The Pack will get a Knights team that is riding a huge wave of momentum after knocking off East Carolina to win a share of the American Athletic Conference title. UCF finished the year 9-3 on the back of their defense, a contrast to last year’s offensive juggernaut. State slid down a bit in the ACC’s pecking order, but this is a manageable game that they can surely win.
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Dec. 27, 2014
2 p.m.
TV: CBS
This has to be the game with the most “fun factor” involved. Anthony Boone will lead Duke in his final game against the No. 15 Sun Devils, who are coming off a late-season collapse which included a big loss to Arizona that eventually sent the Wildcats to the Pac-12 title game.
ASU is a solid opponent for Duke, and the Blue Devils will need to find a way to contain Sparky’s explosive offense while also trying to get things going against a defense that is known to give up big plays.
Birmingham Bowl
Jan. 2, 2015
1 p.m.
TV: ESPN 2
The Pirates enter bowl season after a sluggish November and the before-mentioned loss to UCF at home on senior night. This will be the first of two matchups ECU has with the Gators in 2015 (they’ll head to Gainsville in week 2 next season).
The Gators are back in a bowl game for the first time since the 2012-13 season, and are coming straight off a loss to No. 3 Florida State that was closer than what it should have been.
Despite that, this is still an SEC opponent, and a chance for ECU to make a name for itself even though a majority of their talent won’t be in Greenville next year.