College Football 2017: Ranking the 3 worst losses of Week 12

NC State had already been eliminated from any hope of winning the ACC title, but it had still been a season to remember in Raleigh for the Wolfpack. Ranked at No. 19 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 entering Week 12, Dave Doeren’s team still harbored hopes of racking up NC State’s first 10-win season since 2002.

Instead, the Wolfpack gave up 30 points on the road to Wake Forest, who prevailed by six points on Saturday to consolidate its bowl eligibility. The Demon Deacons gave up over 500 yards of offense to the Wolfpack, yet they still came out ahead on their home turf.

It was an embarrassment for one of the surprise teams of 2017. NC State dropped out of both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll on Sunday, and they will also fall out of the CFP rankings when they are next released on Tuesday. Ryan Finley threw for 327 yards, the backfield chipped in 175 yards on the ground, and the defense held Wake Forest to 87 rushing yards and over 160 fewer total yards than NC State racked up on the day.

But in the end, John Wolford hit Tabari Hines for a go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Wolfpack closed out the game with a fumble and an interception when victory was still in reach. Now they will be out of every ranking, and thus NC State suffered one of the worst losses n Week 3.