It has been a tough year for college football in North Carolina, no doubt about it. At this point, it's conceivable not a single team will make a bowl game. It's also unlikely. East Carolina and either Wake Forest or Duke should be able to make the postseason.
Ranking the five FBS teams in the state is Tuesday's Top Five.
5. N.C. State (3-4, 65.16 Sagarin rating): Tom O'Brien has a great record coming off bye weeks, and this is the point in the Wolfpack's season last year where the team turned it around. But the situation never looked as grim last year as it does now, at least when Russell Wilson was healthy.
Prediction: 4-8, no bowl
4. North Carolina (4-3, 71.16): If the Tar Heels had held on against Florida State, and they had no excuses for what happened in the second half, they might be No. 1 on this list. Instead, their bowl hopes continue to dim, they face an insanely tough road game at Virginia Tech and injuries continue to mount.
Prediction: 6-6, no bowl
3. East Carolina (4-3, 68.41): How can you put the Pirates, who lost at North Carolina, ahead of the Tar Heels? Because East Carolina has gotten better since then (3-1 and handing Marshall its only conference loss) and UNC has gotten worse (0-3 against FBS teams). The Pirates still have a shot to win Conference USA's East Division.
Prediction: 7-5 and a bowl bid, but no trip to the conference title game
2. Wake Forest (4-4, 69.34): Hard to put the Deacons atop this list after the consecutive losses to Clemson (38-3) and Navy (13-3). Still, they may be the only ACC team in the state to end up in a bowl. Unlike their brethren, they played only one FCS team, so they need six wins instead of seven to qualify.
Prediction: 6-6, bowl bid
1. Duke (4-3, 69.34): The Blue Devils are the only FBS team in the state to lose to an FCS team this season, but they're also the only team in the state getting better instead of holding position (East Carolina) or falling behind (everyone else). The Blue Devils may not be No. 1 on this list in a month, but they are right now.
Prediction: 5-7, no bowl
