NC State football is set to take on a plethora of conference opponents this upcoming season, including all three Tobacco Road rivals and two new ACC teams. With the No. 27-ranked 2024 team in the nation according to 247 Sports, the red-and-white has all the talent it needs to win, but it needs to live up to its potential to compete for an ACC Championship title.
The Pack’s conference schedule kicks off with the team traveling to Memorial Stadium to take on the Clemson Tigers. The Wolfpack doesn’t have the best history against Clemson but has won two of the last three meetings. However, both wins were in Carter-Finley Stadium, and the Wolfpack hasn’t beaten the Tigers on the road since 2002.
Clemson retained quarterback Cade Klubnik but lost star running back Will Shipley and star linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to the NFL Draft. Clemson is ranked as the No. 15 team in 2024 per 247, so it has a large influx of talent. Clemson is consistently a contender in the ACC, meaning one of NC State’s toughest tests comes early in the season.
The Wolfpack will then host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The two teams have played each other 117 times, dating back to 1908. The Pack holds a record of 69-42-6 and has won six of its last ten games against the Deacons, including last year’s matchup in Winston-Salem. The Demon Deacons sat at the bottom of the ACC last season and will have a new quarterback after their previous quarterback Mitch Griffis transferred. This gives the Wolfpack a great opportunity to get a conference win against a transitioning team.
The following week, the Wolfpack will host the Syracuse Orange. The Pack boasts a record of 13-3 against the Orange, including a 7-1 home record. However, it lost its last matchup in Syracuse, New York, during the 2022 season — the first game after former NC State quarterback Devin Leary was declared out for the rest of the season. Last year, Syracuse sat toward the bottom of the ACC rankings with a 6-7 record but does have the No. 32 ranked team, according to 247.
The next two games come against new ACC teams, Stanford and California. California struggled last season with a 6-7 record and lost all five matchups against ranked opponents. Stanford was even worse, finishing the season with a 3-9 record. Its one bright spot in the season was a double overtime win against Colorado. Neither team has an abundance of talent on its squad, so the Wolfpack has good chances of winning both games.
Next, the Wolfpack is set to host Tobacco Road rival Duke for its final home game of the season. The red-and-white is 37-42-5 against the Blue Devils but has only played them twice in the past decade, with both teams taking a win. The Blue Devils won the most recent matchup in a 24-3 blowout. However, Duke will have a new look this season since previous quarterback Riley Leonard transferred. As of right now, the predicted starter is highly touted recruit Maalik Murphy.
But Duke has recently leaned on its defense, especially now that Manny Diaz is its new head coach. Diaz is known for his defensive acumen and was the originator of the turnover chain in Miami that revitalized its defense. The Wolfpack has a good chance to win this matchup, but rivalry games are always unpredictable.
The Wolfpack will then travel south to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Pack has a record of 11-20, with an away record of 4-11 against the Yellow Jackets. History doesn’t favor the red-and-white, but it did win the most recent game in 2020.
The Yellow Jackets were 7-6 last season. They were persistent in every game but had some tough losses against solid teams such as Ole Miss, Georgia and Louisville. Quarterback Haynes King will return for his second season with the Yellow Jackets and hopes to lift them to ACC contenders.
Finally, the Wolfpack will travel to “Carter-Finley West” to take on rival UNC-Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack is on the losing end of the rivalry with a record of 39-68-6. However, most Tar Heel wins came before 1950. The Wolfpack has won 12 of its last 17 matchups, including the last three. If the game goes like last season, when the Pack cruised to a dominant 39-20 win, there shouldn’t be any issues.
The Tar Heels lost top-ranked quarterback Drake Maye and talented wide receiver Devontez Walker to the NFL Draft. They do have the No. 35 overall team according to 247 and hope to fill the spots left behind. They did retain workhorse running back Omarion Hampton, who ran for 1500 yards last season, so UNC may opt for a more rushing-based offense than last year. Either way, this is one of the most exciting matchups every year and should make for an electric game.
