The ACC made official what was previously known: NC State Wolfpack football is headed to Jacksonville to participate in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl for the second time in three years. The game is played Jan. 2 and will be a noon kickoff on ESPN.
Multiple reports confirmed the expected news earlier Sunday, including The Stadium's Brett McMurphy who tweeted out the ACC's bowl destinations. McMurphy also revealed that NC State would be playing Kentucky.
NC State is seeking its third nine-win season in the past four years after going 8-3 in the regular season, including 7-3 in the ACC. The Pack is ranked No. 22 in the updated coaches' poll and No. 24 in the Associated Press. It was 23rd in the College Football Playoff committee's rankings.
Wolfpack fans will be able to attend the game, but there will be limited tickets available. Attendance is capped at 25 percent of capacity at TIAA Bank Field, and bowl officials expected a crowd of 5,000-7,000, per the Jacksonville Business Journal.
Like two years ago when the Wolfpack were defeated by Texas A&M, NC State will face an SEC opponent. The bowl's president and CEO Rick Catlett had told the Business Journal that he anticipated the SEC team being either Ole Miss or Kentucky, and those have been the two most popular projections.
The Wildcats went 4-6, all against SEC competition, in 2020.
Here is the official press release from NC State:
NC State's football team will ring in the New Year in the Sunshine State, as the Wolfpack has been selected to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The game, which will be played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 2, 2021 and will kick off at 12 p.m. on ESPN.
The Wolfpack finished the season with eight regular season wins and set a record with seven ACC victories. The invitation marks the eighth in Dave Doeren's 10-year stint as a head coach and his sixth in his eight seasons at the helm of the Wolfpack.
"We are excited for the chance to return to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl," said Doeren, who ranks second in school history with 55 victories. "This is a great reward for our players at the end of what has been a very unique season."
The Pack's SEC opponent will be released at a later time.
This is NC State's 33rd bowl appearance (17-14-1) and its fifth in the Gator Bowl. The Wolfpack played its first bowl game at the storied bowl in 1947 and also played there in 1992, 2002 and 2018.
"We're grateful for the opportunity to compete in the TaxSlayer Bowl against a quality opponent from the SEC, "said NC State Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. "We look forward to heading to Jacksonville, our players, coaches and staff have worked incredibly hard throughout this season to put our program in this position, and we're glad it will end in a January bowl game."
Due to limited stadium capacity and team allotments, tickets should be purchased directly from the bowl game and not through NC State. Fans interested in attending the game should go to the bowl website to purchase tickets.
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
