NC State football 2025 schedule: Can’t miss game. Toughest stretch. Intriguing opponent

N.C. State football fell far below its goals and expectations in 2024, unable to overcome inconsistency and injuries through the entire season. It wants to leave the bitter taste behind and bounce back in 2025.

The ACC released its full schedule Monday night. N.C. State is coming off a 6-7 season, in which it went 3-5 in the ACC. It was the first losing season for the Wolfpack since 2019 and met with frustration from the program and the fan base.

Head coach Dave Doeren and his new staff will want to turn things around if it wants to make the second 12-team College Football Playoff field this fall, but it’ll have an uphill battle.

The Wolfpack is set to face six FBS teams with winning records in 2024; in-state rivals Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest; and 2024 CFP finalist Notre Dame.

It returns several key players, including quarterback CJ Bailey, but the staff has undergone multiple changes in the offseason. Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper was promoted to offensive coordinator and Gavin Locklear will coach tight ends. DJ Eliot replaces Tony Gibson as the defensive coordinator. The program also added Charlton Warren (co-defensive coordinator, nickels, safeties) and Elisha Shaw (co-defensive line).

N.C. State has made changes, while retaining certain pieces, it wants to use to succeed. Now, it’ll have to prove it on the field.

Can’t miss game

North Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 29: Rivalry games are always fun, and N.C. State’s recent success against North Carolina has made this a must-watch game every fall. The Wolfpack went 4-2 under Mack Brown 2.0, including a stunning comeback in November to pick up a fourth straight victory.

This time, the Tar Heels’ sideline will feature NFL Hall of Famer and recent UNC hire Bill Belichick. It’ll be the longtime pro’s first experience with the rivalry and it should be an exciting one.

Will the Wolfpack continue its hot streak against the Heels or will Belichick pull a Brown and win his inaugural rivalry game? Will the longtime pro coach be prepared for the shenanigans, wild plays and stunning displays of athleticism that seem to always take place? I guess everyone will have to wait and find out.

Toughest stretch

The entire back half of the schedule will not be easy for the Wolfpack in 2025, as it faces Florida State, UNC and Georgia Tech at home, while heading on the road to play Pitt, Miami and Notre Dame.

Several of those games are winnable, but there are no guarantees with any of them and any wins probably won’t come easily. Even with Florida State’s down year in 2024, it averaged 28.3 opponent points per game.

With these games coming in the later weeks of the season, injuries and player availability could begin playing a more significant factor in results, as well.

Then, there’s two away games. N.C. State struggled on the road in 2024, going 2-2 in true road games and 0-2 at neutral sites. It’s nice to think the Wolfpack could go into two hostile environments at Miami and Notre Dame and escape 2-0, but that’s not a likely scenario. Going 1-1 without any major injuries would likely be viewed as a win.

Easiest stretch

Ideally, N.C. State should be able to manage its first three weeks of the season with relative ease.

N.C. State opens its season against East Carolina in Raleigh, which gives it home field advantage. The Pirates defeated the Wolfpack, 26-21, in the 2024 Military Bowl to cap off an 8-5 season. The Pack, however, leads the all-time series, 19-14, and is 16-7 at home. With a revamped roster and new coaching staff, N.C. State could have a chance to show off its new changes and offseason work.

It also plays Virginia at home in a nonconference matchup (yes, really) on Sept. 6 at Carter-Finley. N.C. State leads the series 36-21-1 and is 17-9 at home. The most recent game took place on Sept. 22, 2023, in Charlottesville. The Wolfpack defeated the Cavaliers, 24-21, after a late field goal from Brayden Narveson. Virginia ended the 2024 season with a 5-7 record.

Lastly, it heads to Winston-Salem for a date with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Deacs will be led by first-year head coach Jake Dickert, formerly at Washington State. N.C. State has historically played competitively against the in-state rival, 69-43-6. Four of the last seven matchups have been determined by one possession. A fifth was determined by nine points.

Notable nonconference game

The Wolfpack heads to South Bend on Saturday, Oct. 11, to face 2024 College Football Playoff finalist Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman led the Irish to a 14-2 record in 2024, its losses coming to Northern Illinois in the Huskies’ upset and to Ohio State in the national championship.

Notre Dame has lost guys to the portal and NFL, but it’s plausible that the Irish will be locked and reloaded after its playoff run this season.

N.C. State, however, would like to pull a Northern Illinois and earn its own upset — especially after the Irish’s 45-24 win at Carter-Finley Stadium in 2023.

Filled with intrigue

Florida State went from 13-0 in 2023 to 2-10 (and 1-7 in ACC play) this past season. What will the Seminoles bring in 2025? That remains to be seen.

N.C. State has not played the Seminoles since Oct. 18, 2022, when the Pack won 19-17, in Raleigh. FSU leads the all-time series, 27-16. Those teams will match up this season on Friday, Nov. 21 in Raleigh.

NC STATE SCHEDULE 2025

(*) - ACC games

Note: NC State-Virginia is a non-conference game

What is the ACC scheduling model?

The ACC’s schedule model continues through 2030 with no divisions, featuring 17 schools, and including 68 annual conference matchups.

The top two teams based on conference winning percentage will compete in the ACC Football Championship Game on the first Saturday in December at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The format has each member institution play eight conference games per season, with all 17 teams playing each other at least twice in the seven-season span that began in 2024 — once at home and once on the road. The ACC’s 14 East Coast-based teams will play a total of three times each in California over the seven-year span that began in 2024 and none will travel west to California in back-to-back seasons.

The scheduling model protects 16 annual matchups: Boston College-Syracuse, Boston College-Pitt, Syracuse-Pitt, North Carolina-Virginia, North Carolina-Duke, North Carolina-NC State, NC State-Wake Forest, NC State-Duke, Duke-Wake Forest, Virginia Tech-Virginia, Florida State-Clemson, Miami-Florida State, Miami-Virginia Tech, Stanford-Cal, Stanford-SMU, and Cal-SMU.