NC State Football: Can the Wolfpack reload in 2018?
2018 Schedule and Predictions
|
WEEK |
DATE
OPPONENT
H/A
1
Sep. 1
James Madison
Home
2
Sep. 9
Georgia State
Home
3
Sep. 15
West Virginia
Home
4
Sep. 22
Marshall
Away
5
Sep. 29
Virginia
Home
6
Oct. 6
Boston College
Home
7
Oct. 13
BYE
N/A
8
Oct. 20
Clemson
Away
9
Oct. 27
Syracuse
Away
10
Nov. 3
Florida State
Home
11
Nov. 8
Wake Forest
Home
12
Nov. 17
Louisville
Away
13
Nov. 24
North Carolina
Away
The Wolfpack are ranked 37th in the pre-season S&P+ heading into the 2018 season. The Wolfpack were three touchdowns away from an 11-1 regular season and a shot at the ACC Championship. Instead, they lost ACC games to Clemson by seven and Wake Forest by six.
The Pack’s losses to Notre Dame and South Carolina wouldn’t have hurt their ACC odds but would have hurt their College Football Playoff bids. Without Chubb and Hines the Pack will have to re-tool their method and even with four NFL defensive linemen they weren’t as dominant as you would have hoped on that side of the football.
Football games are won with defense and kicking and the Wolfpack’s kicking game was rated 116th by the S&P+ in 2017. Close losses usually come down to home field advantage, coaching, and kicking and being in the lower level of the nation was detrimental to NC State’s season. However, they do return Punter A.J. Cole III who was Honorable Mention All-ACC a season ago.
If quarterback Ryan Finley is as good as advertised the Wolfpack should roll over James Madison and Georgia State before hosting West Virginia. The Mountaineers will be a formidable foe but NC State is ranked higher per the S&P+ analytics. Marshall should also be a win before hosting the improving Virginia Cavaliers.
The NC State schedule is generous as the only really tough road game is Clemson. When UVA comes to Raleigh it should be a win for the red and black. Boston College is improving, too, and the Eagles are 48th in the S&P+ and could be an upset as Doeren’s staff looks ahead to a road trip to Clemson. The Tigers are definitely expected to get the win over the Pack, and another tough road game to Syracuse follows before hosting the FSU Seminoles.
Next: Building the best college football super team
The Pack end on a run of hosting Wake Forest before traveling to a Lamar Jackson‘less Louisville team and then the struggling Tar Heels to end the regular season.