With the offseason in flux after an up-and-down 2015 season, the NC State football team released its schedule for the 2016 season Tuesday.
Unlike in years past, the Wolfpack (7-6, 3-5 ACC) has a somewhat-hefty nonconference slate that includes William & Mary, East Carolina, Old Dominion and No. 4 Notre Dame, with the latter being by far the most formidable among the four. This offers an obvious upgrade in competition over last year’s weak schedule.
In 2015, the Pack faced nonconference teams Troy, Eastern Kentucky, Old Dominion and South Alabama in its first four games of the season. NC State won these games handily by a combined score of 185-48. This utter domination led to fans having unrealistic expectations for NC State, as it ended the season as an average ACC team.
Looking further into last year’s schedule, it is clear as to why the Wolfpack had the sudden drop-off when it entered ACC competition. None of the teams were in a Power 5 conference, as Troy and South Alabama are in the Sun Belt, ODU is in Conference-USA and EKU is in the Ohio Valley. Additionally, EKU was the only team that finished with a winning record (6-5, 5-3 OVC), but that was largely due to the fact that the majority of its opponents were fellow FCS schools. That being said, let’s look at the non-conference teams for the 2016 season.
While William & Mary is also part of the FCS, hailing from the Colonial Athletic Association, it finished second in its conference with a record of 9-4 (6-2 CAA). Additionally, it held its own against Virginia, losing by less than a score, 35-29. Just like it did for the men’s basketball team this season, it could pose a surprisingly tough challenge for the Wolfpack, who opens its season against the Tribe Sept. 3 on Wolfpack Club Day.
Next up will be on the road against East Carolina, who beat NC State handily in their last matchup, 42-28 in 2013 at Carter-Finley Stadium. While the Pirates’ play has dropped off in the last couple seasons, as its 5-7 record last season led to the firing of head coach Ruffin McNeill, the road contest in Greenville, North Carolina, will be no cakewalk for the Wolfpack. ECU is a team that has plenty of talent and a young but experienced head coach Scottie Montgomery, who worked with Duke and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the past.
NC State returns home Sept. 17, as it faces ODU for the third year in a row in the Hall of Fame/All-Sports Reunion. While the Pack endured a close 46-34 fight against the Monarchs in 2014, it took care of business with little issue last year, winning 38-14. This is the only thing that remains the same from last year’s nonconference portion of the schedule.
Lastly is Notre Dame Oct. 8, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Carter-Finley Stadium. This is undoubtedly the biggest nonconference game in recent memory. While Notre Dame isn’t technically in a Power 5 conference, its only three losses came to Ohio State, Clemson and Stanford, who all finished the season in the top 10. Additionally, the Fighting Irish’s biggest victories came against Temple, Pittsburgh and Navy, who all finished the season with five losses or fewer, despite losing starting quarterback Malik Zaire at the beginning of the season.
While some might be intimidated by the tougher schedule, I think it will be better for the team and fans alike. For the team, it will be better prepared as it faces ACC foes, most notably powerhouses Clemson and Florida State and rising rival UNC-Chapel Hill. For the fans, it will bring them down to reality and likely prevent the unrealistic expectations many had for the Wolfpack in 2015.
The biggest downside is, rather than having four “gimme” wins last season, the Pack has maybe two. While this won’t necessarily affect its record in the ACC or its spot in the standings, it will make it more difficult to earn bowl eligibility.
Teams need at least six wins to become bowl eligible. While NC State only needed three wins in the ACC in each of the past two years to earn a spot in a bowl game, the Wolfpack will likely have to fare better against in-conference opponents if it wants to participate in a bowl game for the third year in a row.
