The final preseason SP+ projections were released yesterday, with NC State at 42nd—which is up four spots from where the Pack began in the initial 2023 projection from way back in February.
SP+ expects NC State to have a top-25 defense again and an offense that bounces back to average.
Here’s how State’s opponents stack up:
Schedule and SP+
| Opponent | SP+ Rk | Offense Rk | Defense Rk |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 125 | 127 | 97 |
| Notre Dame | 11 | 26 | 13 |
| VMI | n/a | it stinks | it also stinks |
| UVA | 79 | 125 | 25 |
| Louisville | 40 | 50 | 22 |
| Marshall | 73 | 96 | 46 |
| Duke | 50 | 45 | 54 |
| Clemson | 7 | 14 | 8 |
| Miami | 37 | 49 | 21 |
| Wake Forest | 45 | 39 | 64 |
| Virginia Tech | 72 | 88 | 51 |
| UNC | 25 | 16 | 57 |
I’ve seen some lines for the UConn opener around NCSU -15, but SP+ here is saying that it’s really more like NCSU -24.