NC State gets an early crack at a statement win this Saturday, and the Wolfpack have enough going for them to like their chances against Virginia.
Start with the history. Dave Doeren has had Virginia figured out for a while now, and his NC State teams are a perfect 4-0 against the Cavaliers.
The Wolfpack have also won the last three meetings in Charlottesville dating back to 2011. That kind of edge matters, especially in a matchup where familiarity can tilt the field.
NC State also has some new pieces who could matter right away. King Mack, a safety, arrives with big-game experience after finishing with 58 tackles at Penn State last season.
Harvey Dyson III should bring real punch off the edge; he led the entire American Conference with 8 sacks last season at Tulane and added 12 Tackles for Loss and 2 forced fumbles while showing he can help against the run. At receiver, Victor Snow gives CJ Bailey another target who knows how to finish drives.
Snow posted 10 total touchdowns on 62 catches for 815 yards at Buffalo last season.
And then there’s Bailey himself. He’s back as one of the ACC’s top quarterbacks and has already landed on several preseason watch lists.
He looked comfortable in this matchup a year ago, completing 69.6% of his passes for 200 yards and 1 touchdown while also running for two scores in NC State’s 35 to 31 win over Virginia. For the season, Bailey threw for 3,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and a 68.8% completion rate as the Wolfpack finished 8-5 in 2025.
Virginia comes in with plenty of confidence after reaching the ACC Championship game last season, and Tony Elliott earned Coach of the Year honors for it. That’s the backdrop for a game NC State is expected to approach from the underdog lane.
The Wolfpack may be the ones with something to prove, but that can be a useful place to be. If they play loose and let their new pieces settle in, they’ve got a real shot to open the season with an upset.
In Other News...
Brian Nelson II Is Suddenly Central To NC States 2026 Defense
NC State heads into its 2026 football season at Virginia with a defense that already has a clear new face in the leadership mix. Brian Nelson II, the cornerback who transferred from North Texas, was named one of the Wolfpacks captains for the year, a notable step for a player who spent 2025 working mostly without the spotlight before earning a starting role late in the season.
Nelsons rise gives the secondary an important anchor heading into a road opener that will ask plenty from the Pack right away. He is projected to start in 2026, and his climb from non-starter to captain suggests NC State sees more than just steady play, but a player ready to help set the tone for a defense trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]
NC States New Receiver Gives CJ Bailey A Huge Early Storyline
NC States 2026 depth chart offered an immediate hint at one of the more intriguing storylines around CJ Bailey, with Miami transfer wide receiver Jojo Trader listed as a starter. The move gives the Wolfpack another experienced target to build around, and it also adds a familiar face for Bailey, who has known Trader for years and has played alongside him since childhood and again in high school before the two were reunited in Raleigh.
Trader arrives with some college production already on the ledger after appearing in 11 games last season and catching 13 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. For NC State, the pairing is about more than continuity at receiver. It gives Bailey a built-in chemistry piece entering the season, and the bigger question now is how quickly that old connection translates once the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Revived A Helmet Debate Fans Care About
NC State has already shown a willingness to tinker with its look this season, beginning 2025 in cursive NC State helmets before moving to the larger Tuffy wolf logo for the rest of the schedule and the Gasparilla Bowl. This fall, though, the helmet debate has circled back again, with the Wolfpack using a smaller version of the Tuffy logo and giving fans another reason to compare it with the more familiar design.
The change has been noticeable enough to spark the kind of social media conversation that always seems to follow a helmet tweak. Some fans like the cleaner look, others prefer the bolder version, and the split reaction says plenty about how much these details still matter in Raleigh. For a program with a distinctive identity, even a small logo change can feel bigger than it looks. [Read more 🡒]