2026 NC State Football Preview | NC State Wolfpack Betting Odds
The NC State football program may have won the ACC scheduling lottery in 2026 because the Wolfpack do not have to play Miami, Clemson, SMU or Pitt, and they catch Louisville at home in Raleigh. With a very favorable schedule, Dave Doeren might not have a better opportunity to make some noise in the ACC.
2026 NC State Football Preview
ACC Betting Odds
| Team | 2025 Record | 2026 Win Total | ACC Odds | Nat’l Champ Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | 2-10 (1-7) | 3.5 (o EV / u -120) | +50000 | +100000 |
| Cal | 7-6 (4-4) | 6.5 (o EV / u -120) | +3500 | +60000 |
| Clemson | 7-6 (4-4) | 7.5 (o -130 / u +110) | +1400 | +11000 |
| Duke | 9-5 (7-2) | 5.5 (o -130 / u +110) | +6000 | +40000 |
| Florida State | 5-7 (2-6) | 6.5 (o +140 / u -170) | +3500 | +18000 |
| Georgia Tech | 9-4 (6-2) | 6.5 (o +105 / u -125) | +3500 | +40000 |
| Louisville | 9-4 (4-4) | 8.5 (o +135 / u -160) | +800 | +15000 |
| Miami (Fla) | 13-3 (6-2) | 10.5 (-110 each way) | -136 | +1100 |
| NC State | 8-5 (4-4) | 7.5 (o +120 / u -140) | +2200 | +50000 |
| North Carolina | 4-8 (2-6) | 4.5 (o -130 / u +110) | +15000 | +40000 |
| Pitt | 8-5 (6-2) | 7.5 (o -145 / u +125) | +1700 | +25000 |
| SMU | 9-4 (6-2) | 8.5 (o -125 / u +105) | +700 | +10000 |
| Stanford | 4-8 (3-5) | 3.5 (-110 each way) | +40000 | +100000 |
| Syracuse | 3-9 (1-7) | 4.5 (o +105 / u -125) | +18000 | +80000 |
| Virginia | 11-3 (7-2) | 7.5 (o -150 / u +125) | +1600 | +20000 |
| Virginia Tech | 3-9 (2-6) | 6.5 (o -150 / u +125) | +2800 | +18000 |
| Wake Forest | 9-4 (4-4) | 5.5 (o -125 / u +115) | +7400 | +50000 |
Odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of July 21. The Wolfpack went 8-5 straight-up, 7-6 against the spread including a win over Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl. NC State went 4-1 straight-up and against the spread to close the season, including a pair of outright upset wins over Georgia Tech and Florida State.
2026 NC State Football Roster
Projected Returning Starters: 8 (Five on offense and three on defense)
Projected Starting QB: CJ Bailey (Returning)
Returning Production: 54-percent (62-percent on offense and 46-percent on defense)
Incoming Talent Class: No. 48 Nationally / No. 11 in ACC
Coaching Changes: No major changes. Head coach Dave Doeren, offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and defensive coordinator DJ Eliot all return to Raleigh. Doeren is the second longest-tenured coach in the ACC behind Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
Returning starters are courtesy of CBS Sports. Returning production is courtesy of Bill Connelly’s conference preview series at ESPN. Incoming talent rankings are courtesy of 247 Sports’ Composite Ratings, which capture the talent rankings of both incoming freshman and incoming transfers.
2025 NC State Football Stats
Strength of Schedule: No. 35 (courtesy of Jeff Sagarin)
Turnover Differential: +3
Plays per Game: 66.9 (No. 89)
Seconds per Play: 26.9 (No. 85)
Average Time of Possession: 29:48 (No. 71)
NC State Football Stats on Offense
Yards per Game: 391.2 (No. 66)
Points per Game: 30.2 (No. 44)
Yards per Play: 6.06 (No. 35)
Offensive Success Rate: 42.9-percent (No. 52)
Explosive Plays (20+ Yards): 61 (No. 46)
Net EPA per Play: -0.03 (No. 78)
NC State Football Stats on Defense
Yards per Game Allowed: 411.9 (No. 111)
Points per Game Allowed: 27.2 (No. 82)
Yards per Play Allowed: 6.03 (No. 112)
Defensive Success Rate: 42.0-percent (No. 62)
Explosive Plays Allowed (20+ Yards): 60 (No. 98)
Success Rate is an advanced metric that factors in the down and distance in relation to yards gained. A two-yard gain for a running back doesn’t look great in his overall box score, however a two-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 is a successful play. A low success rate on defense means you’re doing a good job of stopping the opponent from achieving successful plays. EPA stands for expected points added per play and it is a measure of how many points a team adds (or loses) on each play compared to the expected value.
2026 NC State Football Schedule
| Date | Day | Home/Away | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 29 | Sat | Road | Virginia |
| Bye | |||
| September 11 | Fri | Home | Richmond |
| September 19 | Sat | Road | Vanderbilt |
| September 26 | Sat | Home | Appalachian State |
| October 3 | Sat | Home | Louisville |
| October 10 | Sat | Home | Wake Forest |
| Bye | |||
| October 23 | Fri | Road | Stanford |
| October 31 | Sat | Home | Cal |
| November 7 | Sat | Home | Duke |
| November 14 | Sat | Home | Syracuse |
| November 21 | Sat | Road | Florida State |
| November 28 | Sat | Road | North Carolina |
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the NC State football games from their release in May all the way through Week 1 in August. Find free college football picks from season win total bets through National Championship futures on our free picks pages.
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