The Pop-Tarts Bowl between No. 19 North Carolina State and Kansas State on Thursday, Dec. 28, will a showcase for younger players and those older ones relishing an opportunity to take the field one more time. The game will be live streamed on DirecTV Stream (free trial) and fuboTV (free trial and $20 off the first two months).

The Wildcats (8-4) will be missing several key players, including quarterback Will Howard, who entered the transfer portal. They will also be without second-leading rusher Treshaun Ward and safety Kobe Savage.

That leaves freshman quarterback Avery Johnson to lead the Wildcats against a North Carolina State defense that will be without All-American linebacker Payton Wilson, who opted out to begin preparing for the NFL draft.

Johnson appeared in seven games during the regular season, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for six more.

NC State (9-3) will also be integrating several new players into the starting lineup because of absences.

The Wolfpack will miss Wilson, who was the team’s leading tackler as well as ACC defensive player of the year, however there’s still plenty of motivation for NC State to finish strong Thursday with the prospect of a rare 10-win season on the line.

When is NC State-Kansas State?

NC State and Kansas State play at 4:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. ET) on Thursday, Dec. 28.

Will it be live streamed?

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $54.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $74.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $89.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $134.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo pro” package, which comprises 146-plus channels for $74.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

There is also the “fubo elite” package, which comprises 205-plus channels for $84.99 per month. It comes with fuboExtra (48 more channels) and News Plus (11 more channels). Plus, more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

The “fubo premiere” package is “fubo elite” with the addition of Showtime for $94.99 per month.

Will it be televised?

NC State and Kansas State will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.