College football bowl projections: Is there a Mayo Bowl in NC State’s future?

Several bowl games already have been canceled this year, and I’d imagine this will be a season where we see multiple bids get turned down by teams for coronavirus-related reasons, but pretending for a second that things are mostly normal, let’s look at some bowl projections for NC State.

NC State will finish this year with a winning record and meet the traditional eligibility standard for a bowl trip, but remember that the NCAA waived the win requirement this year, so every team regardless of record is eligible to play in a bowl.

Here’s what the national outlets are projecting for the Pack:

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Gator Bowl vs. South Carolina
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Sun Bowl vs. Utah
Stadium’s Brett McMurphy: Mayo Bowl vs. Iowa
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm: Cheez-It Bowl vs. Oklahoma

(South Carolina is 2-5 so that might be a mistake by Bonagura, but then again ... everybody’s eligible!)

If you missed it during the offseason, the Belk Bowl is now the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Mmm, mayo bowls. If some fans are going to be allowed to attend these games, Charlotte is the most ideal spot for State this year. Even if the opponent is Iowa.