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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-07-07 15:26:10+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
North Carolina State (high = 41, low = 57) at #47 starts off a run of 4 ACC schools this week and 6 in the next two weeks. Dave Doeren returns for his 13th season as leader of the Wolfpack, but after a lackluster 6-6 affair capped off with a Military Bowl brawl/loss to East Carolina, he lost DC Tony Gibson to be the head coach of Marshall and fired Robert Anae as his OC, meaning his seat might be getting warmer than you’d expect for the winningest coach in school history.
Roster outlook
New offensive coordinator Kurt Roper has the 17th most offensive production in the country to work with as he takes on the role. The Wolfpack lost quite a bit more on defense (ranking 72nd), combining for the 36th best class overall. The loss of Grayson McCall in the Wake Forest game last season absolutely sucked, but it gave CJ Bailey a chance to get some reps, which should pay dividends this year. Similarly, starting RB Hollywood Smothers, TE Justin Joly and leading WRs Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes are all back as well. Doeren must feel pretty good about his roster (and, presumably, his job security), because he really had a lackluster offseason, bringing in conference average recruiting (37th nationally) and portal (57th nationally) classes, including only one P4 transfer (Purdue C Jalen Grant) projected to start.
Schedule and outlook
The season starts off with a bang with East Carolina coming to Raleigh to revisit those fisticuffs to close out 2024. The Pirates have a reputation of playing early season P4 opponents tough, and if the Wolfpack don’t take care of business on opening night, things could really get rough for Doeren. With Virginia and @ Wake next up, there’s a real chance that the Wolfpack could roll into Durham 3-0 against a Duke team that will have just played preseason darling Illinois and at potential G5 CFP contender Tulane. Following that up with Virginia Tech and Campbell, both in Raleigh, and it’s not much of a stretch to envision NC State going to South Bend 6-0 to take on Notre Dame. The back half of the schedule (@ Pitt, Georgia Tech, @ Miami, FSU and North Carolina) could get a little hairier, but it sure looks on paper like the Wolfpack should improve on last season’s 6-7 affair. If not, there will be lots of howling for a coaching change.