The beginning of another college football season is just a little over a week away, with tons of excitement for the year that NC State is shaping up to have. From returning big names to potential breakout candidates, this team is primed to be one of the best the Pack has fielded in a while.
Despite how good this team could be, the one thing that stands in its way is the difficulty of a Power Five football schedule. The Pack has not been a true challenger in the Atlantic Division of the ACC since the storied 2017 team featuring star players such as Bradley Chubb, Nyheim Hines and Jakobi Meyers. This year presents the Wolfpack with a perfect opportunity to rise back to the top of the Atlantic Division, but the road to get there won’t be short of challenges for the red-and-white.
Nonconference play
Before diving into the path NC State faces to reach the top of the Atlantic Division of the ACC, discussing out-of-conference matchups provides plenty of insight to how this season could shape up for the Pack.
The season and home opener for NC State this year comes on Thursday, Sept. 2 against the University of South Florida, a team that the Pack hasn’t faced since 2014. In the last matchup between the programs, the result ended up being a no-contest for the Pack who would walk away with a 49-17 victory over the Bulls.
Regardless of how the last matchup ended up, and NC State holding a 2-1 lead over USF in the all-time head-to-head record, the last time these two teams met was seven years ago, a lot has changed since then. It would be uninformed to assume that this will be another blowout, but it does provide the Pack with a great opportunity to get accustomed to being back on the field against a relatively lower-tier opponent.
Next up for the Pack is Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi in a battle between schools that got a lot closer over the course of the 2021 College World Series. Following NC State’s abrupt exit from the tournament, the majority of Pack fans turned to Mississippi State to take down the powerhouse that is Vanderbilt baseball. The commodity between the schools will likely be on full display in this matchup, at least amongst the fans. Rest assured, however, that the game being played on the field is guaranteed to be an intense one.
Historically, this matchup is tied at three wins apiece for each school, with Mississippi State taking the most recent one, 51-28, in 2015. Breaking tradition, however, this will be the first match hosted by either school since 1940, as the two programs have met on neutral grounds in each game since. Any game against an SEC opponent is primed to be a challenge when it comes to college football, this game will be no different.
Following the game in Starkville, NC State returns home to face Furman on Sept. 18 during AG Day and Parents and Families Weekend. Looking at the history between these two schools isn’t quite as helpful as it is with other programs when determining what kind of game this will be for the Pack, with the two teams meeting only once since 1985. The previously mentioned star-studded 2017 Wolfpack squad made light work of the Paladins, winning 49-16. With parents weekend scheduled for this game, it’s clear that the Pack plans on replicating that success again this season.
NC State begins ACC play the weekend after its matchup with Furman, but will get its only pause from conference play of the season immediately following its ACC opener against Clemson with a matchup against Louisiana Tech at home. The history between these teams starts and ends with a game played in 2013 where the Pack won 40-14 in a rather one-sided affair.
LA Tech is coming off of a 5-5 season which saw some crushing losses as well as a plethora of canceled games. With this game for NC State being scheduled directly after Clemson, it’ll likely serve as an opportunity for the Pack to regain its bearings should the game against the Tigers go south.
Conference Play
The previously mentioned Clemson game is NC State’s first taste of conference play this season, and it could be a filling one. Whether one would call it fortune or bad luck to have to play a team of Clemson’s caliber each season is up to them, but the Tigers present the Pack with the opportunity to get its biggest win of the season in its biggest game of the year.
That is far easier said than done, however, with Clemson easily holding the all-time record of 59-28-1 in its hands. NC State has fared better at home than on the road over time with a home record of 16-22 against the Tigers, giving at least some hope that the Pack can break its eight-game losing streak against Clemson. Again, easier said than done, as Clemson is locked and loaded for another run to the College Football Playoff behind Dabo Swinney and his newest five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
After the matchup against LA Tech on Oct. 2, the Pack will prepare to run the gauntlet of ACC teams, which make up the entirety of its schedule until the end of the regular season. After LA Tech comes Boston College on Oct. 16, another team that has given the Pack issues in the past.
Coming into this matchup at 7-10 all-time against the Eagles, and losing the last matchup between the programs in 24-45 fashion in 2019, NC State will have its work cut out for it in this one. While many are hopefully optimistic for NC State football on a yearly basis, Boston College always has the potential to be the school that brings overzealous fans back down to earth. Even the uber-talented Wolfpack barely scraped by the Eagles in 2017 with that game’s final scoreline being 17-14.
Up next is the Miami Hurricanes, which was a heartbreaker for many Wolfpack faithful a year ago. This year’s matchup is set to be played in Coral Gables, Florida on Oct. 23, and the Pack will be out for revenge after the nail-biting loss it suffered a year ago. Unfortunately for the Pack, D’Eriq King is back for another year after torching NC State for 430 yards and five touchdowns in the air as well as 120 yards rushing in the game last season. Certainly primed to be one of the most challenging games of the season behind the game against Clemson, this will be one Wolfpack fans won’t want to miss.
After Miami comes Louisville in Raleigh, serving as the Pack’s homecoming game this season. The Cardinals have been a problem for the Pack year in and year out, with NC State coming in at 3-7 all-time against Louisville. The last four matchups between the programs could be considered a bright spot for the Pack, however, with the teams tied at two wins apiece between the four meetings. Set to be another hard-fought conference game for the Pack, this is another one with huge implications should the Pack be able to pull out a win in front of the home crowd.
Following the homecoming festivities, the Pack will hit the road down to Tallahassee, Florida to face off against the Florida State Seminoles on Nov. 6. Fortunately for the Pack, FSU has seen a rather sizable decline in the status of its football program since the days of Jameis Winston in the early 2010s. Regardless, this game is another that proves to be a challenge in any given meeting between the programs. NC State has won two out of the last three meetings between these schools and will hope to get back to winning ways after dropping the last matchup in 2019.
Before returning to Carter Finley on Nov. 20 against Syracuse, the Pack will have to make a stop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Despite what the all-time record of 67-41 suggests for NC State, Wake Forest always brings out all the stops against the Pack. A perfect example of this can be found in the box score of the game played a year ago where the Pack barely scraped past the Demon Deacons 45-42 in an absolute shootout. Should everything go according to plan, which is not a guarantee by any stretch, the Pack should be able to slide this game into the win column.
It’s back to Carter-Finley after facing Wake Forest to take on Syracuse on Nov. 20, which the university is also deeming Military Appreciation Day. This is a matchup that the Pack has dominated throughout history, boasting a 12-2 all-time record over the Orange. The meeting between the teams a year ago saw a 36-29 victory in favor of the Pack in a game where Bailey Hockman dominated the Orange with 313 yards and four touchdowns in the air. While not a sure thing, just like any football game on any given day, this game will be one that the Pack should win handily.
To finish things out in conference play and the regular season in general is everyone’s favorite team to hate, the North Carolina Tar Heels. The final game of the season is set for Nov. 26 in Raleigh and will serve as senior day for players planning to move on from the program after the 2021 season. It’s no secret that UNC-Chapel Hill is building something special down the road with Mack Brown at the helm of the football program, and the Tar Heels are primed for a run to the top of the ACC this season. With Sam Howell under center for UNC, this game will be another one of the most challenging matchups for the Wolfpack this year. Regardless of the outcome, it’s one that NC State fans can’t miss and the matchup almost always goes down as one of the best experiences in any given football season.
The Pack certainly has its work cut out for it this year with a backloaded schedule that will see NC State facing off against ACC opponents in seven games in a row. As the saying goes, “pressure makes diamonds,” which is as applicable to this football season for the Pack as it is anywhere else. This squad has plenty of untapped potential with a solid number of top-tier opponents on the schedule to realize it upon, but only time will tell if the Pack can live up to its expectations for the coming year.
