Let's take a look at NC State Football for the upcoming season.
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Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | SMU | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Virginia Tech | Cal | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Stanford| Wake Forest
NC State
Dave Doeren has been at NC State since 2013. He’s one of the ACC’s longest-tenured coaches, and you have to wonder if it will ever happen for NC State. Will they ever win 10 games, have a top-15 season, or beat a signature opponent out of conference under Doeren? There hasn’t been a bowl win since 2017. That’s not to say Doeren hasn’t made NC State pretty good at times. There are a bunch of 8 – 9 seasons during his time at NC State – 6 in fact, but last year’s 6-7 (3-5) season was NC State’s worst since 2019. Are things getting stale in Raleigh?
Will Go 10-2 (7-1) if:
NC State can take advantage of a soft 1st half of the season. NC State opens the year with East Carolina at home, Virginia, at Wake Forest, at Duke, Virginia Tech, and Campbell. That is not exactly the most daunting 6 games you’ll see this year on someone’s schedule. East Carolina lives to beat ACC teams, and a game at Duke won’t be easy, but that schedule has 5-1 or 6-0 written all over it. The back half of the schedule has games at Notre Dame and at Miami, but the rest of the schedule is winnable. QB CJ Bailey is talented and is a budding star, and they have the best TE in the ACC with Justin Joly. There is some playmaking ability on the Wolfpack’s offense.
Will Go 5-7 (3-5) if:
The two new coordinators, OC Kurt Roper and DC D.J. Eliot can’t improve offenses and defenses that were both ranked 75th or worse last year in college football. Even with a fairly easy opening start to the year, there are some landmines. East Carolina beat NC State in a bowl game, and that’s who NC State starts the season with. At Duke is tricky, and a slip at home to Virginia, at Wake Forest, or Virginia Tech, and you’re 3-3 before going to Notre Dame and Pitt. Georgia Tech, at Miami, FSU, and UNC finish the schedule. That’s not an easy stretch. What if QB CJ Bailey hits that sophomore slump? They are breaking in a largely new defensive secondary, and the Wolfpack could struggle against the pass. A slow start, and an ugly finish could spell a disappointing season.
