NC State’s 2028 schedule just took another hit, and this one comes with a seven-figure price tag.
Vanderbilt has backed out of the return game in Raleigh that was set for Sept. 16, 2028, leaving the Wolfpack with a hole to fill and the Commodores on the hook for $1 million under the contract terms, according to the agreement obtained by Pack Insider through a FOIA request.
The two schools are still set to meet this Saturday in Nashville, and Vanderbilt will pay NC State $400,000 for that trip. The Wolfpack was supposed to receive the same amount when the Commodores came to Carter-Finley Stadium in 2028, but that matchup is now gone.
Vanderbilt did try to find another path forward. The school worked with NC State on moving the game to a different date in 2028, but the sides could not reach an agreement. Instead, Vanderbilt scrapped the series and replaced NC State with Virginia, giving the Commodores a home-and-home that better fits their SEC slate.
For NC State, the bigger problem is obvious: another Power Four game has vanished from the future calendar.
That matters because the ACC’s scheduling setup requires nine conference games and at least one non-conference matchup against a Power Four opponent. NC State already has road games at Appalachian State and East Carolina in 2028, but neither one checks that box. So the Wolfpack still need to find a Power Four opponent for that season.
Vanderbilt is only the latest future series to disappear from NC State’s non-conference plans. The Wolfpack previously had home-and-home agreements with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, but those were mutually cancelled. Because those deals were ended by agreement, no breach fee was involved.
NC State has also been the one walking away from a deal. The Wolfpack were supposed to travel to Texas Tech in 2027 to finish a home-and-home, but they opted out and paid the Red Raiders $1 million. The first game of that series was played at Carter-Finley Stadium in 2022, when NC State beat Texas Tech 27-14.
So if you’re keeping score, the books at least come out even in one sense: NC State paid Texas Tech $1 million, and now Vanderbilt will owe NC State $1 million.
Here’s where the Wolfpack’s current Power Four future stands:
2027 Kansas State
2028 TBD
2029 Notre Dame
2030 TBD
2031 at Notre Dame
2032 at Kansas State
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