NC State projected by Athlon to play UCLA in Sun Bowl

How does sunny El Paso in December grab you? NC State has never played in the Sun Bowl and rarely in its history has it played in a bowl game outside of the southeast. But Athlon is projecting that the Wolfpack will head to west Texas and face UCLA in the postseason.

I’m all for seeing new venues and playing teams from conferences we otherwise rarely see, plus this could end up a pretty fun matchup, that is assuming UCLA doesn’t get crushed by injuries again this season.

Athlon projects 10 ACC schools will reach bowl eligibility. The others: Wake Forest (Quick Lane), Pitt (Independence), UNC (Pinstripe), Georgia Tech (Military), Louisville (Belk), Virginia Tech (Gator), Miami (Citrus), Clemson (Orange), Florida State (playoffs). Oh, and Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl.