N.C. State picked up its first ACC win of the season last week after a promising 31-28 win over a favored Louisville team.
The victory sent sparks of hope through Wolfpack Nation as the team looks to shake off a rocky start and get back to where its fans hoped it’d be coming into 2026.
N.C. State received a more favorable conference schedule compared to other ACC hopefuls, but it’s not without its challenges.
The team was tested right out of the gate with a game against 2025 ACC runner-up Virginia to open the year and failed, losing 34-8. That loss looks even worse in recent weeks as the Cavaliers are also playing below their preseason expectations.
Everyone saw the late-game collapse in its lone Power Four non-conference game against Vanderbilt. Solid play from quarterback C.J. Bailey was forgotten as he fumbled away the win in the end zone with no time left.
Even in a win over App State, the Wolfpack looked like they could be in for a long season.
Coming into the game against Louisville, it felt must-win for both sides. The Cardinals started the year as the No. 24-ranked team in the nation. They were projected as one of the ACC’s more talented programs and expected to compete for a spot in the conference title game.
They’ve since dropped completely out of the polls, and after the State loss, fell to 2-3 on the season. So, should Wolfpack fans actually feel good about a three-point win they nearly squandered again in the second half? Or was that game actually a turning point in the Wolfpack’s season?
How the team performs during its next slate of games will decide that.
Carolina rivals and California challengers await
The Wolfpack will look to clear another hurdle this weekend as Wake Forest makes the trip to Raleigh. The Demon Deacons have been one of the surprise teams in the ACC this season, sitting 4-1 overall, with a respectable loss to Miami.
This is the start of a four-game stretch that sees the Wolfpack play two strong-standing in-state rivals with a pair of California contests in between.
After Wake, the Wolfpack will travel to Stanford, host Cal and host undefeated Duke. If N.C. State can knock off one, or even both, of its fellow North Carolina schools and take care of business against the West Coast teams, the Wolfpack should head into its final three games near the top of the conference standings.
However, if things go south, N.C. State’s highest expectations will become unachievable, and the team will have to settle for another year of middling results.
The Wolfpack will be underdogs against Wake Forest, despite the home field advantage. The Demon Deacons have earned the right to be favored with wins over Stanford, Louisville and Purdue.
Quarterback Gio Lopez has flourished in his new spot, sitting fifth in the ACC in passing yards, sixth in touchdowns and has thrown just one pick this year. Slowing him down will be a must for the Wolfpack defense. Forcing the team to rely on the run could be an avenue to cooling Wake’s offense. The rushing attack has been sound, but not nearly as explosive for the Deacons.
On the flip side, this game should be a great opportunity for Bailey to shine against a defense that is currently 13th in the ACC at stopping the pass. He’s coming off a career-high 373 yards against Louisville.
The ground game will still need to be a viable option, and Wake has been much more successful in stopping the run, holding both Louisville and Stanford under 100 yards on over 30 carries.
Duke Scott has looked good this season for N.C. State but left the game last week with an injury. He’ll miss at least the Wake game, so the load falls on backup Davion Gause.
Regardless of who’s in, if both teams’ previous outings are any indication, this could be an exciting shootout.
State will get a week of rest after the Wake game, and should be favored against Stanford and Cal, setting up an interesting meeting with Duke down the line. The Blue Devils have been another surprise team, jumping to a 4-0 start, featuring wins over Tulane, Illinois and Stanford.
While more untested than the Demon Deacons, Duke has perhaps the best playmaker in the ACC on its team in Nate Sheppard. He will be a handful for any team the Blue Devils play this season, but stopping him is the key to stopping that offense.
Duke’s defense is another story. So far, the Blue Devils have looked like one of the top defenses in the conference, holding three of four opponents to seven points or less. Duke also has the second-best defense in terms of yards allowed per game, just behind Miami.
These next few weeks should give everyone a clearer picture of Duke’s ceiling as the team gets deeper in ACC play. By the time the Blue Devils and Wolfpack face off, it could just be for bragging rights, but it could also have legitimate ACC championship implications.