NC State will be good and still may be the 4th best team in the Atlantic — don’t worry about it

Don’t worry about the wrong things.

I don’t know what will happen to NC State football this season. I do know the Wolfpack has a lot of returning experience in a lot of different places, and that it has the stability at quarterback that a lot of other league teams lack. I know State has one of the best defensive lines in the league. I’m sure this is a good team.

I also have no clue how this team will finish, since it still lives in a division with Clemson and Florida State, and Lamar Jackson, who masks numerous shortcomings at Louisville. All three of those teams either have better talent overall or have Lamar Jackson. It ain’t easy to climb the ladder here.

It doesn’t change the fact that this will be Dave Doeren’s most talented team, or that we have Jaylen Samuels and other teams do not have Jaylen Samuels, which is to their detriment.

National media folks lately have been writing about how good NC State’s defensive line—and by extension, the entire defense—might be this year. That position group is going to continue earning attention right up to the season-opener, and they’ve earned it—Bradley Chubb could easily be a first-round pick after this season.

The defense may end up a disappointment; Chubb may end up a mid-rounder; JaySam may only score 15 touchdowns; Ryan Finley might throw 15 interceptions; Nyheim Hines might be a bust at running back; Kelvin Harmon, Stephen Louis, and Jumichael Ramos might struggle to create opportunities at receiver; the world might melt into the sun. There’s always a lot of variables involved with football.

I have voiced pretty extensive doubts about Dave Doeren’s coaching ability. His future beyond this season is going to be interesting, but setting every near-term external thing aside, this is easily the best football team State has had since 2003.

So I’m just gonna take a deep breath, hit reset, and realize that the football team will be pretty good and also at the same time be subject to the whims of chance because fumbles happen. Sometimes the day is as simple as realizing that fumbles happen. (Never tell the football that.)

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