NC State opens this season with a real chance to turn preseason hope into something bigger, and the path starts fast. A Week 0 meeting with Virginia could set the tone for everything that follows, especially since the Wolfpack have won the last four matchups against the Cavaliers dating back to 2018.
Last year, NC State caught Virginia at the right moment and came away with a 35-31 win in Week 2, before Virginia ripped off seven straight victories and rolled into the ACC Championship game at 11-3. This year’s schedule has enough similarities to make a deep run feel possible if the Wolfpack get that first one.
A lot of that optimism runs through CJ Bailey, who made the decision to stay in Raleigh after throwing for 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns and only nine interceptions while completing 68.8% of his passes a season ago. He’ll have new weapons around him, but if he takes another step forward, NC State’s offense could become one of the more productive groups in the league.
By the end of the year, Bailey could be sitting among the finalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, which goes to the nation’s top quarterback. The last NC State quarterback to be a finalist for that honor was Philip Rivers in 2003.
There’s also a path for Dave Doeren to finally break through on the win total that has stayed just out of reach. Now in his 13th season, Doeren is already the winningest coach in program history, but he has never gotten to 10 wins. This might be the best shot yet, particularly with NC State avoiding some of the ACC’s biggest names, including Clemson, Miami and SMU.
If the Wolfpack take care of Virginia, they may not see another major challenge until Louisville comes to Raleigh on October 3rd. The second half of the schedule looks favorable too, with several opponents that finished below NC State in the conference standings last year and are projected to finish behind the Wolfpack again. Duke is the one notable exception after winning the conference championship, though that came in part because of quarterback for hire Darian Mensah, who has since moved on.
That kind of setup gives NC State a realistic chance to reach 10 wins and, if everything breaks right, to play for the ACC title. If the Wolfpack get through the conference and reach the ACC Championship game, it would be the first title-game appearance in program history since the event began in 2005. Winning it would also give NC State its first ACC championship since 1979.
And if you want to take the dream one step further, the stakes jump again from there. An ACC title would send NC State straight into the College Football Playoff, and once a team gets there, anything can happen.
Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack could make noise, win games and maybe even chase a national championship. For a program that’s been waiting for that kind of season, this feels like the year to keep believing.
In Other News...
NC State Mourns A Beloved Champion From Its 1983 Title Team
Cozell McQueen, a key figure from NC States 1983 national championship run, has died at 64, bringing fresh sorrow to a program that still treats that title team as part of its identity. McQueen played for the Wolfpack from 1981 through 1985 and went on to a brief NBA career, but his place in school history was already secure long before his Hall of Fame induction in 2019.
For NC State, the loss lands as more than just another name from a celebrated era. McQueen was honored by the program multiple times over the years, a reflection of how deeply he remained tied to the school and its most famous season. His passing leaves another empty space in the story of a championship team whose members have stayed close to Wolfpack fans for more than four decades. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Doeren Faces A Tough NC State Roster Decision Before Scrimmage
Dave Doeren has kept the conversation around roster additions pointed in a careful direction as NC State heads toward its next scrimmage, stressing that the staff does not want to upset the chemistry already building in camp. With the season approaching and the backdrop of a court ruling in Colorado still hanging over possible transfer portal moves, the Wolfpack are treating any potential shakeup as something to handle only after the picture becomes clearer.
For now, Doeren has had plenty to sort through on the field, especially at tight end, where several players have made an impression during training camp. He also touched on the bigger scheduling shifts facing the program, from the Week 0 game to the ACCs move to nine conference games, a reminder that roster management and calendar planning are both part of the same late-summer balancing act. [Read more 🡒]