NC State Football: 3 takeaways from devastating loss to Wake Forest

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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Dave Doeren of the North Carolina State Wolfpack watches a replay during the second half of their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 08, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Wake Forest won 27-23. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

1. NC State isn’t a contender, after all

The NC State Wolfpack started the season 5-0 and their lone cancelled contest was against No. 14 West Virginia which would have been an early barometer of how the season would go. Unfortunately, college football fans missed out on an opportunity to see a potential early upset and the Wolfpack could have gained some momentum.

Still, the Wolfpack rose in the AP Top 25 after starting the season unranked and had a chance to prove themselves against No. 3 Clemson. That didn’t go as planned as they were trounced 41-7.

The next game against a new-and-improved Syracuse team was a chance to prove that the Clemson game was a fluke and just a bad day. Unfortunately, they struggled then, too, losing 51-41 at the hands of the Orange on the road.

NC State then handled Florida State 47-28 before taking on an ailing Wake Forest team in Raleigh. Easy win, right? Wrong.

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The No. 14 team in the College Football Playoff poll faltered, losing on their own turf to a middle-of-the-pack ACC squad, proving they’re not worthy of the ‘contender’ title.

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