Week 10 of the college football season has arrived in our state.
It’s the end of the line for one team (Shaw), who will host Livingstone for homecoming to close out the regular season. For many other schools, today brings high-stakes match-ups with conference title hopes, playoff berths, bowl eligibility, bragging rights and even one trophy on the line.
Here are storylines to watch:
Can The Golden Bulls Continue Golden Season?
Johnson C. Smith sits at 8-0, already the best start in program history. But the Bulls have bigger aspirations, like winning the CIAA and making the D2 playoffs. To reach 9-0, JCSU will need to beat Fayetteville State for the first time since 2015.
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Who Will Rule The SAC Piedmont Division?
Speaking of D2 playoff hopes, Wingate will visit Lenoir-Rhyne with the top spot in the South Atlantic’s Piedmont Division on the line for both schools. The two rivals played a barnburner last season, with Wingate pulling it out in the final minute 34-30. This game will feature two stout defenses and opportunistic offenses. Read our preview HERE.
BBQ Battle
Gardner-Webb will head to Charleston Southern to vie for the Barbecue Bowl trophy and state bragging rights. The winner gets a BBQ feast courtesy of the losing team. Read more HERE.
USA South’s “Big Four Tournament”
The four North Carolina teams in the Division III USA South Conference will collide today in a double-feature. Methodist will visit Brevard, while North Carolina Wesleyan will head to Greensboro. Both games start at noon. Brevard’s still in the running for the league championship.
How Many FBS Teams Can Make A Bowl?
Dreams of conference titles and College Football Playoff berths have faded for our seven Division I FBS schools. Now, the goal is to reach six wins and bowl eligibility.
Duke (6-2) has already achieved that milestone, even with last week’s heartbreaking loss to SMU. Who else can join the Devils at the six-win mark? East Carolina, NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest each sit at 4-4 with four games left. App State is 3-4, though it had one game canceled (Liberty). Charlotte dropped to 3-6 with Thursday’s loss to Tulane – no more room for error for the 49ers.
Appalachian State will host Old Dominion today, while NC State will entertain new ACC foe Stanford. Duke and UNC will travel to Florida, facing Miami and FSU respectively. ECU and Wake are on a bye.
Cross-Country Clash In Cali
NC State has already played and won at California. Wake Forest vanquished Stanford in Palo Alto last weekend. Now, it is Davidson’s turn to take on a West Coast foe. The Wildcats visit San Diego in what has become an intriguing rivalry in the Pioneer Football League. The ‘Cats are looking to bounce back after a loss to Butler at home.
Super Seven: In-State Showdowns On Tap
We have seven games featuring Old North State vs. Old North State today. Elon will host Campbell for the first time ever in what is now a CAA clash. Livingstone visits Shaw in D2 CIAA action. Catawba travels to Barton in the D2 South Atlantic.
We’ve already mentioned the pivotal Fayetteville State at Johnson C. Smith and Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne matchups, as well as Methodist-Brevard and NC Wesleyan-Greensboro. Fun day for fans of college football in North Carolina! Enjoy!
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