Wolfpack's Dave Doeren Wants Rivalry Reignited

North Carolina State head coach Dave Doeren is a firm believer the game with Clemson should be cemented as an annual affair.

Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren on the field against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Last season, the Atlantic Coast Conference added Cal, SMU and Stanford. That forced the league to rework its scheduling from 2024 to 2030.

With that came some interesting schedule problems wherein all 17 ACC teams have to play one another at least twice over that stretch. 

For NC State, that meant one thing. The traditional, yearly Textile Bowl against Clemson would not be able to be played every season. Clemson and NC State had met each year from 1971 to 2024, not including the 2020 COVID season. It was a true ACC rival game if there ever was one.

The Textile Bowl trophy will stay in South Carolina for the next two years because that is when the teams will play next. They are not scheduled to play each other this season or next.

Jul 24, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney answers questions from the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Head coach Dave Doeren, who is 2-9 against Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers is livid the game is not being played every year. He addressed this matter at the ACC Media Days last week in Charlotte.

“I was kind of shocked when I saw it,” Doeren said. “To me, it’s a trophy game, one of the only trophy games in the ACC. I don’t know. That one should have been cemented in, in my opinion.”

NC State will not play Clemson, but they will play Miami and Duke, two teams that are traditionally not on the Wolfpack schedule. One thing Doeren does like is that he gets to play teams that are not usually on their schedule over the next six seasons.

“[I’m] excited that I get to play other teams more,” Doeren said. “That was a complaint of mine. I only saw Duke one time in six years when I first got here.”

Dec 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (16) throws from the pocket during the first half of the the Go Bowling Military Bowl against the East Carolina Pirates at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

North Carolina State and Virginia also agreed to play a home and home, non-conference game this year and next. That is another team that the Wolfpack usually do not see. Doeren would rather play a non-conference game against a conference rival, than play a team with no association to the geography of the university.

“You don’t understand how hard it is to get games on your schedule,” Doeren said. “It’s hard to get teams when you’re trying to find one that has an open date, is in your recruiting area, fits what they want from a TV standpoint. Why would you go play a team that wants you to pay them over $1 million when you’re trying to have money. You need money right now in the program. We’re trying to find teams where that’s not part of the question.”

Doeren still wants to see the Textile Bowl become an annual affair once again.

“I like that we get to play more teams more often, I also think we should have some games that we always play,” Doeren said. “Clemson and the Textile Bowl, it’s a great game to have. It’s weird not to have them on the schedule.”