NC State's 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh is against potential Conference USA title contender Louisiana Tech and available to be seen online only, either with ACC Network Extra or ESPN+.

The Wolfpack is considered a healthy almost three-touchdown favorite over the Bulldogs, who are 2-2 but could easily be either 4-0 or 0-4 through four contests.

Can NC State keep the momentum going? The Wolfpacker staff make their guesses.

I wonder if this had been an ACC game scheduled after such a dramatic, high profile win if NC State fans would not be dreading Saturday.

Right or wrong, there is a perception that the Pack tends to not handle success well. Truth is NC State has won its last two games following a win over a top-10 opponent, and under head coach Dave Doeren it is 4-0 when playing a team the week after knocking off a top-25 squad.

But when a university has been snakebitten so much that even Doeren himself acknowledged after the Clemson win that he became a believer in NC State "stuff," that feeling is natural.

Doeren proclaimed the curse was over after beating Clemson. Pack basketball coach Kevin Keatts made a similar proclamation to end the 2017-18 regular season. His team then lost both its ACC and NCAA Tournament first round games, and Keatts has not been back to the Big Dance since.

Hence why perhaps there were more cringes than smiles after Doeren's statement Saturday.

But the bet here is the schedule is NC State's friend. Louisiana Tech is better than the other two non-conference teams the Wolfpack played at home — South Florida and Furman. So don't expect a similar style drubbing.

However, this is an older Wolfpack team that is all-too-familiar with that perception of how NC State handles success. They seem to be on a mission to buck the viewpoints and set new realities. Because of that, I am going with a workmanlike win, with a caveat to my score below.

I am making the bet that Louisiana Tech saves starting quarterback Austin Kendall, who missed last week's 24-17 win over North Texas with an injury, for the stretch run in what could be a title-contending year in Conference USA. Like NC State, the Bulldogs have a bye after this week, adding more time for Kendall to get healthy.

If Kendall does play, tack on a touchdown to Louisiana Tech's score below.

Matt Carter's prediction: NC State 38, Louisiana Tech 10

Previous predictions:

Week 1: NC State 41, South Florida 21 (actual: NC State 45-0)

Week 2: NC State 33, Mississippi State 30 (actual: Mississippi State 24-10)

Week 3: NC State 42, Furman 6 (actual: NC State 45-7)

Week 4: Clemson 21, NC State 9 (actual: NC State 27-21)

Sometimes the most dangerous games aren't the big ones. Sometimes, it's the non-suspecting contests following an emotional win that can bite teams in the rear.

Coming off of the biggest win of Dave Doeren's tenure at NC State, everything the Wolfpack players and coaches are saying expresses that they know that. This weekend, it's a matter of execution.

The maturity of this Pack roster makes me believe that the red and white will be dialed in despite facing a less-sexy opponent than Clemson. The fact that this game will be played at night and at home plays into NC State being awake and ready to play this Saturday.

Louisiana Tech has yet to have a game with a margin greater than a touchdown. That changes Saturday. The Bulldogs may be able to sneak past the Wolfpack's defense a couple of times, potentially once in a lopsided game against its reserves in the second half.

NC State's offense, however, should have its way with a leaky Louisiana Tech defense. Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary is coming off of a game in which he threw four touchdowns and no interceptions against one of the better defenses in the country. He'll be due for a productive night, and the Pack will also get its run game going with backs Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr.

The Pack carries momentum from its Clemson win into the bye week and gets ready for the remaining ACC schedule with plenty on the line.

Justin H. Williams’ prediction: NC State 49, Louisiana Tech 22

Previous predictions:

Week 1: NC State 41, South Florida 16 (actual: NC State 45-0)

Week 2: NC State 38, Mississippi State 28 (actual: Mississippi State 24-10)

Week 3: NC State 48, Furman 16 (actual: NC State 45-7)

Week 4: Clemson 20, NC State 16 (actual: NC State 27-21)

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