Week 7 Bowl Projections: Texas Tech, NC State remain strong candidates

The 29th Camping World Bowl is still more than two months away, but it’s never too early to start predicting which ACC and Big 12 teams might be headed to Orlando.

Here’s a round-up of projections from around the college football media world after Week 7:

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN): Duke vs. Texas Tech
Mitch Sherman (ESPN): Duke vs. Iowa State
Eric Single (Sports Illustrated): NC State vs. Texas Tech
Jerry Palm (CBS Sports): NC State vs. Iowa State
Bill Bender (SportingNews): Syracuse vs. Oklahoma State
Jason Kirk (SBNation): NC State vs. West Virginia
Kerry Miller (Bleacher Report): Miami vs. West Virginia
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): Virginia Tech vs. Texas Tech
CollegeFootballNews.com: Miami vs. West Virginia
Erick Smith (USA Today): NC State vs. Oklahoma
Brett McMurphy (Stadium): NC State vs. Texas Tech
Brad Crawford (247 Sports): NC State vs. Texas Tech

Duke vs. Texas Tech
• These teams have only met once, in the 1989 All-American Bowl; Texas Tech defeated Duke 49-21.
• This would be Texas Tech’s second appearance in the Camping World Bowl; its first came in 2002, when it defeated Clemson 55-15.
• In the Red Raiders’ first appearance, current head coach Kliff Kingsbury was named game MVP after completing 32 of 43 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns.

Duke vs. Iowa State
• This would be the first-ever matchup between the Blue Devils and the Cyclones.
• Neither of these programs has played in a bowl game in Orlando.
• Duke is ranked No. 3 nationally in red zone defense (9 for 14 opponent red zone scores), while Iowa State is tied for first in red zone offense (16 for 16 red zone scores).

NC State vs. Texas Tech
• The Wolfpack and the Red Raiders have met on the gridiron five times previously; NC State leads the series 4-1.
• Their last four meetings were a part of two home-and-home series in 1992-93 and 2002-03; NC State won all four of those games.
• This would be the Wolfpack’s sixth overall appearance in the Camping World Bowl.

NC State vs. Iowa State
• The only previous matchup between these programs was in the 1977 Peach Bowl, a 24-14 victory for NC State.
• This would be the Cyclones’ first-ever appearance in a bowl game in the Sunshine State.
• The Wolfpack would likely depend on their passing offense (No. 6 nationally, 335.4 yards per game) against Iowa State’s defense, which ranks 16th nationally, allowing 110.3 yards per game.

Syracuse vs. Oklahoma State
• The programs have never squared off on the gridiron.
• Syracuse’s last Camping World Bowl appearance came in 2004, a 51-14 loss to Georgia Tech in what was known at the time as the Champs Sports Bowl.
• Oklahoma State made its first appearance in the game last season with a 30-21 win over Virginia Tech.
• Both Syracuse (43 points per game) and Oklahoma State (39.4) rank in the Top 20 in the nation in scoring, at 11th and 19th, respectively.

NC State vs. West Virginia
• The most recent matchup between these programs came in the 2010 Camping World Bowl, then known as the Champs Sports Bowl; NC State won 23-7.
• Before the 2010 contest, the teams had played nine times previously with West Virginia leading the series 5-4.
• Three of the 10 overall contests between the Wolfpack and the Mountaineers have been in bowl games (1972 Peach Bowl; 1975 Peach Bowl; 2010 Camping World Bowl).
• The Wolfpack and Mountaineers were scheduled to play earlier this season, but the game was canceled due to Hurricane Florence.

The last time the Hurricanes and the Mountaineers played each other was in the 2016 Camping World Bowl; Miami won 31-14

Miami vs. West Virginia
• This would be a rematch of the 2016 Camping World Bowl, then known as the Russell Athletic Bowl, which saw Miami beat West Virginia 31-14.
• Miami leads this series 17-3 and currently holds a seven-game win streak.
• The Hurricanes feature the top defense in the country, allowing just 236.4 total yards per game but would be up against an offense that ranks 11th nationally in passing with 320.5 yards per game through the air.

Virginia Tech vs. Texas Tech
• There are no previous matchups between these programs
• Virginia Tech holds a 1-1 Camping World Bowl record; the Hokies were victorious in 2012, a 13-10 overtime victory against Rutgers, but fell to Oklahoma State in last year’s contest 30-21.
• Virginia Tech also appeared in the 2016 ACC Championship Game at Camping World Stadium, a 42-35 loss to Clemson.

NC State vs. Oklahoma
• The Wolfpack and the Sooners have played two times previously, with Oklahoma winning both contests.
• The first was in the 1947 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, a 34-13 Sooners win.
• Oklahoma has played in the Camping World Bowl once before, a 40-6 loss to Clemson in the 2014 game

Click here to check out weekly projections from earlier this season.