The Belk Bowl announced today that the NC State Wolfpack will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 2015 Belk Bowl. The Wolfpack will be making their third appearance, and first since 2011, while the Bulldogs will be making their first appearance in the game. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30th with the game televised by ESPN. This is the second year the Belk Bowl features a matchup between the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference. For the game, NC State is designated the away team and Mississippi State is designated the home team.
“We are very excited to welcome NC State and Mississippi State to the 2015 Belk Bowl,” said Will Webb, Belk Bowl Executive Director. “The Wolfpack and Bulldogs have proven to be great competitors and should provide a tremendous matchup on the field. Both schools have dedicated and supportive fan bases that we will be proud to host in Charlotte for the 2015 Belk Bowl.”
NC State finished the regular season with a 7-5 overall record (3-5 ACC). They have won both time they have played in the Belk Bowl, defeating Louisville in 2011 and South Florida in 2005.
“We are both excited and thankful for the opportunity to play in-state at the Belk Bowl in the great city of Charlotte,” said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. “The Belk Bowl allows the NC State fan base a tremendous opportunity to support their Wolfpack and I look forward to seeing a sea of red on game day! This is a great reward for our young team that has continued to improve over the course of the season. We have a number of players on our squad from Charlotte and the surrounding area, so I’m glad that they will be able to go home for the holidays.”
Mississippi State finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record (4-4 SEC). Last season, they attained the #1 ranking in college football and a Capital One Orange Bowl berth.
“This is a great opportunity for our team and our fans to cap off the 2015 season at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte for the first time,” said MSU head coach Dan Mullen. “This senior class is the second-winningest in school history and they have been to a bowl game every year. We want to send them out the right way for everything they have done for our program. We look forward to seeing our Bulldog fans take over Charlotte in what will be a fun week.”
College football’s only bowl game to call the Carolinas home, the Belk Bowl has long-term partnerships in place with Belk, ESPN, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference, all through 2019. The game is played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Individual tickets for the 2015 Belk Bowl are on sale through participating schools and online.
Seven-time GRAMMY® winner Carrie Underwood will be the headline act at the 2015 Belk Bowl FanFest. Free to the public on game-day, FanFest will begin at 10:00 a.m. with Carrie’s performance scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.