Oh, what people will do to get some shock-value clicks these days.
NC State finished last season ranked 20th in the nation. They finished 2nd in the ACC Atlantic. They have almost the same team returning this season.
Yet somehow, David Cobb from CBS thinks they are the ‘most overrated’ team in the conference. Here is what he had to say after making his selection…
“The assumption that NC State will break through for 10 wins this season discounts the impact of what it lost in the backfield. Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. comprised an elite duo, combining for nearly 1,400 yards rushing and 49 receptions last season. Without them, the Wolfpack risk becoming entirely one-dimensional as they also have bid farewell to the NFL Draft‘s No. 6 overall pick, Ikem Ekwonu, on the offensive line. NC State is a clear bowl team, but it gives off 2021 Iowa State and North Carolina vibes. The dreams of a league title and dark horse CFP contention are overblown. — David Cobb”
Cobb makes a fair statement about Kinght and Person being gone, but it’s almost as if he thinks the Pack will have to take the field with no running back. Jordan Houston has been good in a small sample size. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a freshman and in his 3rd year he averaged 4.2 ypc. Ricky Person averaged 4.7 ypc last year and Knight averaged 5.5.
No one thinks NC State’s run game is going to get better this season, but there is also the notion that this is the year that they let the reigns off of Leary. With Person and Knight, you didn’t have to let Leary grip it and rip it. You could sit back and churn out yardage with your running backs. But just look at what happened whenever NC State got down late in games and Leary had to take control. This was when he was at his best. So you have a QB with another year under his belt, you have a very good offensive line and a great defense that gets to add an NFL caliber LB in Payton Wilson.
Meanwhile, Cobb picks NC State 2nd, along with every other analyst that they got for this piece.

I don’t really get it. NC State is picked by almost everyone to finish behind Clemson, and Cobb agrees. Yet, he thinks they are the most overrated? Clemson is ranked 4th in the AP poll and State is ranked 13th.
Chalk this up to another analyst playing the “all publicity is good publicity” angle and hating on a team with the most rabid fanbase in the conference.
Injuries- if we can avoid the back breaking injuries we’ve had to live with lately, it could be a special season. The pieces are there.
Its our defense that will make us or break us. Our offense should only need to be good, not great and they have the potential of being very good.