Weekly NC College Football Preview (Early Bowls):

NC State Battles Memphis In Gasparilla Bowl,
As Four Other NC Teams Prepare For Later Games
(DG’s “This Week In CFB” YouTube Show = Posted Below)

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated Dec. 16, 2025)

The 2025-26 college football campaign continues Friday and Saturday with a compelling College Football Playoff schedule and the continuation of bowl season, including NC State’s matchup against Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Two of the four first-round playoff games are rematches from the regular season: #9 Alabama at #8 Oklahoma (Fri., 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN), and #11 Tulane at #6 Ole Miss (Sat., 3:30 p.m., TNT/truTV/HBO Max).

Meanwhile, #10 Miami visits #7 Texas A&M (Sat., noon, ABC/ESPN) and #12 James Madison visits #5 Oregon (Sat., 7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV/HBO Max).

In other action this week, NC State is the first of North Carolina’s five bowl-bound teams to enter the fray, with the 7-5 Wolfpack taking on 8-4 Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday afternoon in Tampa, Fla.

Among the 32 NCAA football teams in North Carolina (see full list below, with 2025 results), only five are still playing.

NC State (7-5), Duke (8-5), Wake Forest (8-4), East Carolina (8-4) and Appalachian State (5-7) all accepted bowl invitations. The Mountaineers got into the field, despite their losing record, after at least 10 bowl-eligible teams with better records turned down their various postseason opportunities.

Early Bowls Preview: Game One (Gasparilla Bowl)

NC State (7-5) vs. Memphis (8-4), Fri., 2:30 p.m. (ESPN), Tampa, Fla.

The starting point here for NC State is that, while long-time coach Dave Doeren has his team bowl-eligible for the 11th time in the past 12 years, which is an impressive accomplishment, the Wolfpack hasn’t won a bowl game since 2017, and the Pack has lost five straight postseason contests.

In the broader sense, the overview of this game should include that these are two very explosive offenses, led by dynamic quarterbacks, and neither defense has been consistently strong this season, so there should be plenty of offensive fireworks during an afternoon game offering very pleasant mid-December weather conditions (expected temperature at kickoff = low 70s) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Friday.

The other major twist in this matchup is that Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield — after six years leading that program, including a 10-3 season in 2023 and an 11-2 campaign in 2024 — has jumped to the Southeastern Conference and accepted the Arkansas job, so Tigers defensive backs coach Reggie Howard will be leading the team into action against the Wolfpack.

Impressively, Memphis beat a Power Four opponent in a postseason game in each of the past two seasons. The Tigers torched a 7-5 Iowa State team, 36-26, in the 2023 Liberty Bowl, then they edged a 6-6 West Virginia squad, 42-37, in last year’s Frisco Bowl.

The expectation this year is that there won’t be quite as many player opt-outs in these mid-level and lower-level bowl games, in part because the new NCAA transfer portal rules don’t allow them to officially enter the portal or take campus visits until Jan. 2 at the earliest.

Barring any last-minute changes, that means college football fans will get to see a heck of a quarterback matchup in this one, with redshirt senior Brendon Lewis leading Memphis and sophomore CJ Bailey leading NC State.

Lewis is a true dual-threat quarterback, an extremely dangerous runner and just a decent thrower, so the Wolfpack will need a defensive game plan that reflects those facts. Memphis split its games against the two best defensive teams in the American Conference, edging South Florida 34-31 but losing 31-27 at East Carolina. The Pirates did not allow a pass completion longer than 19 yards.

Bailey has become an outstanding passer for the Wolfpack, but he uses his legs much more selectively. Although Bailey was not one of the five quarterbacks who received All-ACC recognition this season, his throwing ability ranked behind only that of Duke superstar Darian Mensah (second-team all-conference), and his running ability finished in the top half-dozen in the league, too.

Memphis lost its final three regular-season games, but to quality opponents — Tulane (11-2), ECU (8-4) and Navy (10-2). Prior to that stretch, the Tigers had posted impressive victories over Troy, Arkansas and South Florida.

The Wolfpack, meanwhile, has won two straight, over Florida State and UNC, showing significant defensive improvement along the way.

Perhaps the main reason the Pack (a four-point favorite) is considered the likely winner in this game is its extremely balanced offense, especially since the Memphis defense finished in the middle of the American Conference pack.

The talent around Bailey is either reliable (offensive line, wide receiver) or brilliant (running back, tight end) at pretty much every position. Tailback Hollywood Smothers and tight end Justin Joly earned first-team All-ACC honors, tackle Jacarrius Peak was an honorable mention selection, and sophomore Terrell Anderson leads a multi-faceted wide receiver corps.

NC Football Bowl Subdivision (Seven Teams)

App State — 5-7, 2-6 Sun Belt (12th of 14 teams); Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)
Charlotte — 1-11, 0-8 American (14th of 14 teams); season over
Duke — 8-5, 6-2 ACC (CHAMPIONS); Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
East Carolina — 8-4, 6-2 American (4th of 14 teams); Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
North Carolina — 4-8, 2-6 ACC (13th of 17 teams); season over
NC State — 7-5, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19)
Wake Forest — 8-4, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Jan. 2)

Atlantic Coast Conference (17 Teams)

Boston College — 2-10, 1-7 ACC (16th of 17 teams); season over
Cal — 7-5, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)
Clemson — 7-5, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)
Duke — 8-5, 6-2 ACC (CHAMPIONS); Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Florida State — 5-7, 2-6 ACC (13th of 17 teams); season over
Georgia Tech — 9-3, 6-2 (2nd of 17 teams); Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 27)
Louisville — 8-4, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 23)
Miami — 10-2, 6-2 ACC (2nd of 17 teams); College Football Playoff (Dec. 19)
North Carolina — 4-8, 2-6 ACC (13th of 17 teams); season over
NC State — 7-5, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19)
Pittsburgh — 8-4, 6-2 ACC (2nd of 17 teams); Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
SMU — 8-4, 6-2 ACC (2nd of 17 teams); Holiday Bowl (Jan. 2)
Stanford — 4-8, 3-5 ACC (12th of 17 teams); season over
Syracuse — 3-9, 1-7 ACC (16th of 17 teams); season over
Virginia — 10-3, 7-1 ACC (1st of 17 teams); Gator Bowl (Dec. 27)
Virginia Tech — 3-9, 2-6 ACC (13th of 17 teams); season over
Wake Forest — 8-4, 4-4 ACC (7th of 17 teams); Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Jan. 2)