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ESPN: How NC State Can Make the College Football Playoff in 2024

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ESPN just released an article this morning breaking down how every team in their Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 can make the College Football Playoff, which will be expanded to 12 teams in 2024.

The Wolfpack ranks 18th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25. Here’s what Heather Dinich of ESPN thinks is necessary for NC State to do in order to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.

18. NC State Wolfpack

How to impress the committee: Win the ACC and win on the road. NC State has a chance to beat Tennessee in nearby Charlotte, N.C., but it also has conference road trips to Clemson, Cal, Georgia Tech on a Thursday night and at rival North Carolina. While Cal might not be ranked, the committee will still appreciate the difficulty of the cross-country trip to its new ACC opponent. If the Pack loses to the Vols but still wins the ACC, it will earn a playoff bid as one of the five highest-ranked conference champs. If Florida State wins the ACC, the winner of the NC State-Clemson game will have the edge if both are in contention for an at-large spot.

How the path will be different in the 12-team field: NC State doesn’t have to be concerned about being excluded if it wins the league. It’s possible, though, that if NC State loses to Tennessee and loses to an ACC opponent — finishing as a two-loss ACC champ — it could be snubbed for a first-round bye. If there is an undefeated conference champion from the American Athletic Conference, MAC, Sun Belt, C-USA or MWC that is ranked higher, the Pack could wind up as the fifth-best conference champ guaranteed a spot. If NC State doesn’t win the ACC, it could face an uphill battle for one of the at-large spots without enough statement wins or convincing performances.

Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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NC State’s 2024 Transfer Class Rankings After Carter Commitment

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