NC State and Miami are at different points, but they meet Saturday in Florida with opportunities to reverse course, for good and bad.
The Wolfpack is 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the ACC and ranked No. 18 in both of the major polls. A win Saturday at Miami keeps them on a trajectory to a potential first-ever trip to the ACC championship game.
Miami is 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the ACC. A loss will increase the mounting pressure on head coach Manny Diaz, who has come under fire after six straight losses to Power Five teams.
Yet the Hurricanes have a softer final four games if they can navigate Saturday and then win over Pittsburgh next week, while NC State has more landmines it could step on during the remainder of its slate.
Can NC State stay on track? The Wolfpacker staff make their guesses.
Matt Carter
I came into the week thinking this is a Miami team at a crossroads, but I’ve since realized that the Hurricanes are just now entering its now-or-never mode of the season.
I think the proper view is to look at Miami as a 4-2 team overall and 2-0 in the ACC. Their two league losses were games that the Canes probably should have won, albeit it also says something that they were in that position against two middle-of-the-road, at best, ACC opponents in Virginia at home and UNC on the road, the latter of which Miami played following its bye week.
Viewing the Canes through the prism of the 4-2 record it should have vs. the 2-4 mark it actually owns sets a proper perspective of the game Saturday.
Miami has two weeks to get its season right: this Saturday and then next week against Coastal Division favorite Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes are well-tested, having played the toughest schedule of any team in the ACC.
Thus expect a battle-tested, motivated Miami team to give NC State its best shot.
I just don’t think it’ll be enough.
As we get closer to game day, I no longer think that this will be the win by some daylight that I expected at the outset of the week. The prediction instead is that it’ll be a closer game that will not be decided until the fourth quarter.
That said, I have the Pack prevailing.
Matt Carter's prediction: NC State 31, Miami 23
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)
Week 5: NC State 38, Louisiana Tech 17 (actual: NC State 34-27)
Week 6: NC State 28, Boston College 24 (actual: NC State 33-7)
Justin H. Williams
What was once a circled road matchup against a preseason top-15 squad has now turned into a "take care of business" conference game.
Miami entered the season ranked No. 14 in the AP poll. At the time, it was one of NC State's three scheduled games against a top-15 foe. Now, the only opponent that high in the rankings remaining on the schedule is the November road game at Wake Forest, who was not in that original group of three.
On paper, this pairing seems ripe for disappointment.
The Pack is coming off of an impressive road win over Boston College, and although this game will be primetime on ESPN2, it still lacks the luster we thought it would have back in August.
But this NC State team has embraced the underdog role all season. And even after a 5-1 start, including a 2-0 record in ACC play, the Wolfpack is still not earning the respect the team believes it deserves.
Not to mention, the Pack opened as 2-point underdogs against Miami. That spread has quickly gone up to favor NC State by three, but you know the locker room has taken note.
Last year's 8-4 NC State team nearly knocked off the Hurricanes at home. The problem was Miami quarterback D'Eriq King, who put on a Heisman-like performance on that Thursday night last fall. King returned for an extra year of college football in 2021 but suffered an injury and underwent season-ending surgery.
That means freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke will be under center for the Canes. So far, he's thrown five touchdowns to three interceptions. Not bad, but he'll need to be in top form against one of the nation's best defenses Saturday.
This is a "show the world" game for NC State. A chance to go on the road and take it to a nationally recognized program on primetime television. I think the Pack capitalizes on it.
Justin H. Williams’ prediction: NC State 34, Miami 23
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)
Week 5: NC State 49, Louisiana Tech 22 (actual: NC State 34-27)
Week 6: NC State 27, Boston College 20 (actual: NC State 33-7)
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