West Virginia entered the game with a 9-3 record along with being co-champions of the Big East Conference.
The Mountaineers were hurt in their quest for the Big East's BCS bid with October losses to UConn and Syracuse.
The Wolfpack attempted to win a bowl game for the first time in coach Tom O’Brien’s four seasons in Raleigh.
NC State played in the Papajohns.com Bowl in his second season but lost to Rutgers, 29-23.
The strength of the Wolfpack was in their passing game, ranked number 19 in the country.