NC State Newsstand: Wolfpack picked as dark horse playoff contender
It’s officially the offseason for NC State football and basketball, but there will be no shortage of news between now and August. Our daily ‘Newsstands’ will be a way for our readers to catch up on what they missed from the day before.
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TheWolfpacker.com’s Tuesday Morning Newsstand
CBS Sports recently released its top College Football Playoff contenders for the upcoming season, and, for the second-consecutive year, NC State made the cut. Listed with 250-1 odds, the Wolfpack represents the ACC on a list that also includes Auburn, Texas Tech, Wisconsin and Oregon State.
The Pack ended last season 8-5 after injuries at quarterback derailed an extremely experienced 2022 squad. Despite quite a few departing contributors, CBS explained why it could still see the program making a push for the top four.
“NC State earned a spot on this list last season for being among the national leaders in returning production. After quarterback Devin Leary went down with an injury, however, the Wolfpack lost four of their last seven games. They rank among the lowest teams in returning production entering this season, but a shrewd set of offensive decisions by coach Dave Doeren just might push NC State back into contention.
“Two years ago, quarterback Brennan Armstrong led the nation with 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns while playing for coordinator Robert Anae at Virginia. Now, the pair reunites in Raleigh with a chance to revitalize the NC State offense. Doeren’s defenses have ranked top 25 nationally each of the past two seasons, so Armstrong and the Wolfpack offense holding up their end of the bargain could push NC State into contention.”
UConn hosts the Wolfpack Thursday, Aug. 31, to kick off the 2023 football season.
Tweets of the day
Single game football tickets are now available for purchase.
Three-star quarterback commit Cedrick Bailey Jr. is ready to return to Raleigh soon. He has an official visit scheduled for June 16-18.
Check out these one-on-one reps from three-star Wolfpack defensive back commit Asaad Brown II.
The Pack is reportedly one of the ACC schools exploring the conference’s grant-of-rights.
NC State quote of the day
This quote is from SI.com’s Ross Dellenger discussing “The Magnificent 7” news.
“If the seven agree to dissolve the current grant-of-rights agreement (we don’t know yet if this is a possibility), they may add a couple of more schools and begin their own association in hopes of it being more lucrative,” Dellenger noted. “This comes with its own issues, of course. You’d need a broadcast partner or private equity to fund such an endeavor. And, as one official asks, “Will it really be that much more lucrative?”
Today’s top NC State headlines
NC State reportedly in group of ACC schools discussing options
The Wolfpacker’s 3-2-1: NC State official visit intel and more
NC State baseball and ACC Tournament bubble
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