It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest serving as one of the longest-running games on the schedule:
2025 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Matchup: Memphis Tigers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
Date: Friday, Dec. 19, 2025
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The Gasparilla Bowl has been a staple on the bowl game schedule since 2008, though it has undergone several name changes since its debut season — St. Petersburg Bowl (2008-2009; 2014-2016), Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl (2010-2013), Gasparilla Bowl (2017-2025).
Florida (2024), Georgia Tech (2023) and Wake Forest (2022) are the three most recent winners, with each cruising to double-digit victories. It’s time that we finally get a close one, though things do favor one side considerably.
Story continues below advertisement
Team Overviews
Memphis Tigers
Conference: American
Head Coach: Reggie Howard (Interim)
Record: 8–4
Memphis once looked like a favorite to land in the 2026 College Football Playoff, though it dropped three consecutive games to close the season against Tulane, East Carolina and Navy.
Ryan Silverfield, the club’s head coach for each of the last six seasons, has led the program to four bowl game victories (2020 Montgomery Bowl, 2022 First Responder Bowl, 2023 Liberty Bowl, 2024 Frisco Bowl) but won’t be in attendance for this one as he moved on to take the head coaching job at Arkansas.
Story continues below advertisement
Tigers quarterback Brendon Lewis, running back Sutton Smith and wide receiver Cortez Braham are the stars for an offense that scored 34.6 points per game (19th of 136) — so there’s still plenty of talent to keep the club competitive.
NC State Wolfpack
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Dave Doeren
Record: 7-5
NC State head coach Dave Doeren hasn’t been as successful in the postseason, entering this contest with losses in each of his last five bowl appearances — including one-score losses in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
Story continues below advertisement
CJ Bailey (2,884 passing yards, 28 total touchdowns) and Will Wilson (nine rushing touchdowns) combine as one of the most lethal quarterback duos we’ve seen over the last couple of decades, with their combined skillset making the Wolfpack one of the best red-zone offenses in the FBS in 2025.
Players to Watch
Memphis
QB Brendon Lewis
RB Sutton Smith
RB Gregory Desrosiers
WR Cortez Braham
LB Sam Brumfield
LB DeMarco Ward
DB Kamari Wilson
Story continues below advertisement
NC State
QB CJ Bailey
QB Will Wilson
RB Daylan Smothers
TE Justin Joly
LB Caden Fordham
DB Devon Marshall
Key Notes
Memphis and NC State have never played each other.
Story continues below advertisement
Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: NC State -4.5 | O/U 58.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: NC State -4.5 | O/U 58.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: NC State -4.5 | O/U 58.5
The Pick: Under 58.5
Story continues below advertisement
Featured image via Sam Navarro/Imagn Images
