The College Football regular season has officially ended and college bowl season is approaching. Bowl games are an important part of the college football season. Every year all eligible teams will be placed into a bowl game and play one more game to finish the season unless they are also in playoff contention.
Most of the major colleges in one state are rarely eligible for bowl games but that is what happened for 4 of the major colleges in North Carolina this year. Hopes were high for the future of these NC teams during the offseason and this season has proved that right.
NC State, UNC, ECU, and Duke football teams have at least 6 wins this season, which is the minimum for bowl eligibility. They have all fought hard and there have been plenty of upsets between them and expectations that have been met or not quite have been met.
NC States Battle for Bowl Eligibility
NC State finished the regular season with a 6-6 record in spectacular fashion with a rivalry upset against UNC. With that win, NC State became bowl-eligible but missed any chance at College Playoffs.
“I’m happy with the state’s performance, obviously it could be better though. I’m hoping next year they continue to get better and live up to the expectations from this season,” says Brooks Jarell, A Green Level High School Senior and avid NC State fan.
Leading the NC State offense, Freshman CJ Bailey. Bailey finished the year with 2183 yards and 14 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. Since Bailey is a freshman we should continue to see his growth inside the NC State Program. NC State will finish its season against ECU in the Go Bowling Military Bowl on December 28th.
UNC’s Roller Coaster Season
UNC came up short of expectations with a 6-6 record in a heartbreaking defeat against rival NC State. UNC became bowl-eligible in week 10 against Wake Forest and then lost back-to-back against Boston College and NC State.
Senior Jacolby Criswell led UNCs .500% season. Criswell threw for a total of 2452 yards and 15 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions. Criswell would also run for 3 touchdowns on foot. UNC will face UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on December 28th.
ECUs Impressive Turnaround
ECU ended the season with a 7-5 record surprising most considering they finished 2-10 in 2023, making their improvement over the offseason much more impressive.
Junior Jake Garcia led the ECU offense in his first year in the program. Jake threw for 1426 yards over the season, Garcia’s touchdown to interception ratio was sub-par with 12 interceptions to just 8 touchdowns. With all of that Garcia will still lead ECU to face NC State in the Go Bowling Military Bowl on December 28th.
Dukes Dominant Performance
Duke finished with the best record of all the teams mentioned with a 9-3 record. Duke also finished the season with a 3-win streak, began the season with a 5-win streak, and became bowl-eligible in week 7.
Sophomore Maliik Murphy played all 12 regular-season games at the front of the Duke offense. Murphy put up impressive numbers with 2933 yards and 26 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Duke will meet Ole Miss in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl on January 2nd, 2025.
This year’s college football season proved promising for the future of all major NC colleges. We should be able to see each of these individual programs continue to grow and become stronger as the upcoming seasons play out.
