Coming off the best season in the Dave Doeren era and highest final ranking in the AP poll since 2002, Doeren and the Wolfpack will look to build on the momentum and have another memorable season. Fans are rightfully excited, but what should they realistically expect?
There’s no denying the talent that left Raleigh, as evidenced by the seven draft picks in May. Six other seniors who were key cogs graduated. Jaylen Samuels and Nyheim Hines combined for 28 touchdowns and are now getting paid to score touchdowns. Bradley Chubb doesn’t need an explanation for why he’ll be missed. However, it’s not all bad news. Graduate quarterback Ryan Finley elected to return, and he has one of the best receiving corps in the country to throw to. The defensive backfield has a mix of talent and experience that typically has more questions than answers. Senior defensive end Darian Roseboro and redshirt senior linebacker Germaine Pratt are likely NFL draft picks after the year. There’s even a possibility that the Pack could match the number of draft picks it had last year. Chubb and Samuels aren’t walking through that door, but the cupboard certainly isn’t bare.
The first thing to notice when looking at the schedule, is the non-conference schedule was as tough as it gets in 2017. The 2018 nonconference slate isn’t nearly as daunting. Instead of a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame, the Pack travels to Marshall. Replacing the non-conference tilt with South Carolina (which was basically a road game), West Virginia visits Carter-Finley Stadium. After a 2-2 non-conference performance last year, 3-1 should be the standard this year, minimum. The trip to Marshall is no gimmie, and West Virginia might be the second-toughest game on the schedule. If the Pack wants to become a perennial top 25 team, it can’t go 2-2 in the non-conference every year. 3-1 should be the goal, 4-0 is attainable.
On the flip side, the Atlantic Division will likely be tougher. The home ACC slate consists of Florida State, Virginia, Boston College and Wake Forest. Virginia is likely the worst team in the ACC and Florida State is a big name team, but has a new coach and questions at quarterback. Boston College and Wake Forest are dark horse teams, and they’ll come to Carter Finley ready to play. None of these games will be easy, but similar to the non-conference slate, if the Pack wants to take the next step, it must go 3-1, minimum, against a very manageable home schedule. 4-0 is certainly on the table.
The road slate is more difficult, highlighted by the game everybody has circled on their calendar, a trip to Clemson. This game was the Atlantic Division championship game last year, and Pack fans should expect nothing different this year. Lamar Jackson is off to the NFL, but visiting Louisville won’t be an easy task. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey might be the most underrated quarterback in the ACC, and the week after a trip to Clemson, the Orange will be very difficult. Finally, UNC-Chapel Hill can’t be any worse than they were last year, and facing the Pack will be its biggest game of the year. It’s unfair to expect any program in the country to beat Clemson (barring Alabama), 3-1 would be an incredible performance on the road for Doeren’s crew; however, 2-2 would be more realistic.
3-1 against the non-conference schedule, 3-1 at home in ACC games and 2-2 on the road for conference games would put the Pack at 8-4. Matching last years win total would be a successful season, but it’s hard not to think about the possibility of a 10-win season once the bowl game is played. Once again, the defense doesn’t have the star power, but it’ll hope to replace experience with improved athleticism. On the other hand, the offense has plenty of star power at quarterback, wide receiver and the offensive line. Maybe most importantly, the non-conference schedule won’t be one of the toughest in the country
7-5 wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but it would feel like more of the same with another NFL quarterback at the helm. In order to take the next step, Doeren needs to build the Pack’s case as the second-best team in the conference, or at least the division. Matching last year’s win total would accomplish that, and that’s what Wolfpack fans should expect in 2018.
