When Holtz moved on, Bo Rein, previously offensive coordinator at Arkansas, became the youngest college football head coach upon his hiring by North Carolina State. Guiding the Wolfpack football team, Rein was an advocate of the coaching philosophy of Ohio State's Woody Hayes for whom Rein played. During Rein's four years at NC State, he led the team to two bowl games, defeating Iowa State in the 1977 Peach Bowl and defeating the Pittsburgh in the 1978 Tangerine Bowl. In Rein's final year at NC State, his team won the Wolfpack's last ACC title to date. Despite winning the conference title, the Wolfpack were not invited to a bowl–as of the end of the 2019 season, the last bowl-eligible conference champion from a power conference to not take part in a bowl game.