CHARLOTTE — After a nine-month wait, the 2017 NC State football season is nearly upon us. Tomorrow, the Pack will get things started with the Belk College Kickoff game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

This game will see NC State’s football program embark on a monumentally important season. In head coach Dave Doeren’s fifth year, the sky seems to be the limit for a this Wolfpack team. After close calls against ACC heavyweights Florida State and Clemson last year, and with a highly talented roster highlighted by returning redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley, a versatile weapon in senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels, a deep receiving corps, a strong offensive line, and a stacked defensive front helmed by likely top-20 NFL draft pick Bradley Chubb, NC State has a chance to do something special this year.

The team has earned fringe consideration for the AP top 25, and SEC analyst Cole Cubelic went as far as including the Wolfpack in his College Football Playoff picks. While that may be a bit of a stretch, the team certainly has the potential to finish the year with nine plus wins, a spot in the top-25, and a top bowl game.

As the first step on that path, and by far the toughest nonconference game the Pack has faced in Doeren’s tenure, tomorrow’s game is being billed as the biggest of the season. This certainly is an important game, with large implications for the Pack’s season as a whole, but here’s the thing: from a pure numbers standpoint, it’s not the biggest game of the year.

While a loss in this game would certainly leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Pack and its fans, State could lose to the Gamecocks and be just fine. Losing to South Carolina would not preclude the team from picking up signature wins later on its schedule against the likes of Clemson, Florida State or Notre Dame and finishing where it has the potential to.

While, on paper, this is a game the Pack should win, NC State need only look to its in-state rivals to see that a loss here is not necessarily cause for panic. Two years ago in this very game, a superb North Carolina Tar Heels game fell 17-13 to an inferior Gamecocks opponent. That UNC team went on to win the rest of its games and finish the regular season at 11-1.

A loss to South Carolina does not doom the Pack’s season, or end any hopes the team has of a spectacular year. That being said, however, this is still a matchup of tremendous importance for the Pack, not necessarily by the numbers, but because of what it represents.

This is the first chance for this team to prove what it is capable of, and that the preseason hype is warranted. It’s a nationally televised game in an NFL stadium; there will be a lot of eyes on this one. Win, and there will be a feeling of validation, like this Wolfpack team is truly capable of something special, and long-suffering fans have a chance to finally be rewarded. Lose, and fans and media alike will, fair or not, begin to wonder if this is another NC State team with talent and potential on paper, but that cannot execute when it matters most and live up to those expectations.

While South Carolina is not what it used to be as a program, this is still a power-five matchup, against a team from arguably the strongest conference in college football in the SEC. It’s also by far the toughest nonconference game Doeren has scheduled for the Pack, other than the required ACC-Notre Dame matchups.

Here’s a list of the other teams NC State has played outside the ACC the last four years: Louisiana Tech, Richmond, Central Michigan, East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, South Florida, Presbyterian, Troy, Eastern Kentucky, South Alabama and William and Mary. South Carolina is far and away the toughest opponent of that group, and a good early test of the Wolfpack’s mettle.

A win in this game likely earns the Pack a spot in the top-25 for at least three weeks, with cake walks against Marshall and Furman at home following this one. It leaves Pack fans with a good feeling for three weeks heading into the toughest game of the year at Florida State. A loss leaves lingering doubt of whether or not an NC State team can finally match its on-paper potential.

While a loss to South Carolina would not mean the sky is falling from an on-field standpoint, its off-field implications couldn’t be ignored. This is a monumental game for NC State, one of the most important of Doeren’s entire tenure. This is a talented Wolfpack team’s first chance to prove its backers right, silence its doubters, and get started on what could very well be its best year since NFL quarterback Philip Rivers wore the red and white. A strong season in sports is all about positive momentum both on and off the field, and the Pack has a tremendous chance to start building its own in Charlotte tomorrow