4 takeaways from NC State’s new football schedule
The ACC dropped its new football home and away matchups from the 2024-2030 seasons Monday night. While the conference previously announced a 3-3-5 scheduling model, the additions of Stanford, California and SMU to the league necessitated a new schedule.
NC State will play three programs every year— UNC, Duke and Wake Forest. Both the Tar Heels and Blue Devils were already an annual matchup on the previous future schedules, but this change protects a 128-year-long rivalry between the Pack and the Demon Deacons.
The Wolfpack will play Pittsburgh four times over the next seven years, more than any other school aside from the in-state rivals.
Here are a few more takeaways from NC State’s new 2024 schedule and beyond
Clemson is no longer an annual rival
NC State will only play its Textile Bowl Rival three times over the next season. Following a road date in Death Valley next year, NC State will next welcome the Tigers to Raleigh in 2027 and travel to visit the Tigers again in 2028. After defeating Clemson in consecutive matchups at Carter-Finley Stadium, the Wolfpack will only have more chance to do so before 2031 at the earliest.
NC State will play in the Bay Area next year
California will host NC State as one of its four inaugural ACC home games. To get there and back, NC State will have to fly 4,802 miles. That is the Wolfpack’s only trip west until 2026, when the program travels to Stanford. NC State will then visit SMU in 2029. The Pack plays California and Stanford three times total and SMU twice.
Breaking down the 2024 ACC schedule
Duke, Stanford, Syracuse and Virginia will all travel to NC State next year. Those programs have a combined 13-19 record so far in 2023. That matchup against the Cardinal will be the program’s first-ever showdown with the former Pac-12 school.
Syracuse most recently travel to Raleigh in 2021, Duke visited during the 2020 season and UVA stopped by in 2018. NC State won all three of those games.
On the road, the Wolfpack will play California, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and UNC. Those showdowns with the Tar Heels and Tigers will follow the traditional home/away pattern from previous years after hosting both of those teams this fall.
Protected rivalries keeps travel to a minimum
Adding a pair of west coast teams and SMU to the conference certainly puts some more stress on the Wolfpack’s travel schedule in 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2029, but the protected in-state rivalries will help slightly mitigate those concerns.
Duke, UNC and Wake Forest are a combined 168 miles away from campus. So, even when NC State has to travel to Texas or California, its in-state rivalries will help keep the program close to home for the rest of the season. The 2026 season sets up the most daunting travel slate, with both Stanford and Florida State on the road schedule. NC State also visits SMU and Florida State in 2029.
It is also worth noting that, on the years the Pack plays UNC at home, the Wolfpack will travel to Wake Forest and Duke and vice versa.
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