Still on a high after the Pack’s win at the Belk Bowl, many football fans, like myself, are already thinking about the upcoming football season.
The past season went by with many highs, including sophomore David Amerson’s nation-leading 13 interceptions, a fifth-straight win over UNC , a win over then No. 7-ranked Clemson and the late comeback against Maryland – just a few amongst many.
However, as high as the Pack did fly, the season was marred with numerous lows everyone would probably like to forget. For example, the loss to Cincinnati in a nationally televised game, the shutout by Florida State and the embarrassing loss to Boston College, who was battling the Terps to avoid the cellar in the ACC.
Eight wins in a season might sound spectacular in comparison with the low standards the Pack has set for itself in recent years, and bowl eligibility has been the ultimate prize every fan craves for. However, the recent season brings up a very important question: Is being bowl-eligible and bowl-worthy the exact same thing? I think not. A season that saw the Pack play two FCS schools in the form of South Alabama and Liberty, wins that barely pushed the Pack over the line for a bowl game, are not something to be very proud of.
While I take pride in attending the University and am happy to be here, what upsets me is that most people are content with what they have. Progress is slow, and beating UNC is the ultimate goal. A lot of that ambition translates to the way our football program operates. In an era where the BCS system rules, with rankings, computers and voters playing a major role in what shapes our destiny, a schedule like we witnessed in 2011 just does not cut it.
For those overtly enthusiastic about the coming season, here’s a reality check. While State plays a Southeastern Conference team in its season opener in the form of Tennessee, many would do well to check that it’s the same team that finished in the penultimate position in the conference, with just one win to show for the year in conference play. If that wasn’t a bad enough start, other non-conference opponents include Connecticut, who finished 5-7 in one of the weakest BCS conferences. Moving down, the Pack again has FCS foe South Alabama for company with a 4-7 FCS team, the Citadel, rounding off the Pack’s non-conference opposition.
It would take a brave man to say that N.C. State, with the type of opposition it’s going to face, will find itself in discussion for a BCS bowl berth at the end of the year. Expecting anything less than a BCS bowl bid should be sad, while not even trying to move in that direction, even worse.
Even in conference play, not being able to have a game against Virginia Tech for the second straight year, a team that has been the flag bearer of the ACC when it comes to qualifying for BCS bowl games and also the winner of the first at-large bid from the ACC in the BCS era, State’s schedule looks shaky.
Coach Tom O’Brien may keep on saying he is returning a lot of starters on both sides of the ball for the coming season, but what’s the point if the team doesn’t have a chance to play better teams and ends the year with a mediocre bowl game?
The Athletics Department needs to work with the ACC to provide a stronger schedule for the Pack in the future, as everyone is tired of watching other teams across the nation place high on the rankings and earn BCS bowl-bids, knowing fully well that our team and coaching staff have the potential to do much better than we have in the past.
A change of mindset is also to be required amongst fans. People need to quit resting on laurels like the Belk Bowl. Fans need to stop making a win over UNC their only priority of the season. Like a very close friend of mine said, as long as the Pack beat them, the season would count as successful for him. That needs to stop. The University Athletics Committee needs to interact with fans, especially on matters such as schedules, as only with such fan incorporation can a program be successful.
If we do want to be the flagship university in the eyes of the world, its time we start thinking about being better than what we are.