NC State Future Out of Conference Football Schedule

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A couple of times a year we highlight the current/known future opponents on the Wolfpack’s out of conference football schedule just to keep the the information fresh and accessible to our readers.   In light of this weekend’s trip to Greenville and the recent announcement on September 15th that NC State’s future series with Oklahoma State has been cancelled, we thought we would follow-up and share the current nature of the future schedule as we currently understand it:

 

NC State’s current Non-Conference Football Opponents

2011: @Cincinnati, South Alabama, Liberty, Central Michigan

2012: Tennessee (Atlanta), @ UConn, South Alabama, The Citadel

2013: Central Michigan, @ Pittsburgh, ECU, Richmond

2014: @ South Florida, @ Central Michigan, Presbyterian

2015: @ South Alabama

2016: @ ECU

2017: @ LSU

2020: LSU

 

A couple of quick comments, some of which come from some of our previous entries on the topic:

  • Not sure if I see State ever actually traveling to South Alabama in 2015. That feels like a game from which one might ultimately buy out.
  • I hope nothing changes with the LSU series like our Notre Dame and Tennessee series’. 
  • Where is the home game as reciprocity for our trip to UConn in 2012.
  • Right now, the most appealing road game on the horizon is a 2013 visit to Heinz field to play Pitt while breaking in a new quarterback (the year after Glennon’s R-Sr season)
  • In an entry just like this a couple of years ago, I threw out the name “Skip Holtz” because (a) we were matched-up against his ECU Pirates and (b) I considered him a potential candidate to one day be the Head Coach at NC State.  With this said…allow me to highlight:
    • Randy Edsall, whose UConn team we play in 2012.
    • Skip Holtz, whose South Florida team we play in 2014.

 

On September 23rd, 2009 at 10:41pm, 61Packer posted the following comments in another entry about this topic:

I really like playing Tennessee, but weren’t they originally scheduled as a home and away instead of just once in Atlanta? If State officials were responsible for this change, then shame on them.

LSU is obviously a great matchup for us. Please don’t move this series to one game in Atlanta.

I like playing Cincinnati home and away. They’re an up-and-coming program and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Ditto for Oklahoma State. We don’t play enough of the Big XII teams, and they will be a quality opponent.

I don’t like playing ECU, I never have, and probably never will. However, it’s a game most fans from both schools seem to want, and if we continue to play them, so be it. It makes a lot more dollars and sense to play the Pie-Rats as long as that game (and the UNC game) is home and away and NOT in Charlotte. If we had to play UT on a neutral field to get this matchup, Charlotte would’ve been much better for us.

I don’t mind an occasional game with the regional FCS teams like Richmond and Western Carolina. Those games fall under the category of the OOC wins we need, and there’s enough fan interest to make these games fun. That having been said, the South Alabama games, 3 of them in fact, make no sense, especially going down there to play. Does Jed owe somebody a favor or something?

Mobile is a nice place but not for Wolfpack football. If our school’s administration is really interested in building a program instead of sending fans to “nice places”, may I suggest State College or Morgantown? How about Auburn, Athens or Columbia (again)? There are two good teams in Mississippi and one in Arkansas, and hopefully one day we’ll have a game scheduled against a Pac 10, MWC or WAC team.

I don’t know what kind of a program South Alabama has or aspires to have, but if anyone’s interested, they play Mississippi Valley State this Saturday at 5pm in Chicago. Whoa!

 

On September 24th, 2009 at 11:01am, GAWolf posted the following comments in another entry about this topic:

Unless I misread SFN’s entry, we’re getting two for the price of one on that Southern Alabama series. Two homes for one away against, as someone pointed out, what would likely be one of the worst D1 teams. 2011, 2012 are at home. 2015 is there. To totally break that down, would we not want to play THERE when they were fledgling D1 as opposed to giving them several more years to get up to par with talent? Silly, but something to thing about.

The flip to OOC schedule doesn’t matter what bowl State plays in is also true. If the games don’t matter, why not try to knock off some decent teams for that truly special season once in a blue moon. If we Herb-like back our way into the ACC Title game with a mediocre conference record in a bad ACC, we win and go to the BCS bowl regardless of OOC record. If we lose the ACC Title game under the same scenario, will winning cupcake games place us in a better bowl than losing to major football programs? I’m actually asking… I don’t know the answer.

Truthfully, we’re to major traditional powerhouse teams what ECU is to us. It’s really a no win situation. They risk losing to us in a down year (or us an up year), and they don’t get a huge feather in their hats for beating us. Is that not why we’re seeing so many major programs back out of deals with us? Or is it mostly poor management?

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36 Responses to NC State Future Out of Conference Football Schedule

  1. old13 10/13/2010 at 2:13 PM #

    Hopefully, this is something that our new sheriff will be addressing. I’m sure that she understands its importance to the goals she has set.

  2. PackManSJP 10/13/2010 at 2:16 PM #

    I think @ UCONN in 2012 is the other half of the home-in-home from 2003. That was the game Freddy Aughtry-Lindsey had a pick six to win it with 5 seconds left in the game.

  3. Ismael 10/13/2010 at 2:24 PM #

    i know its impossible to predict this stuff, look at the difference between Cincinnati now and a year ago. But i would love for us to play at least one out of conference perennial top 10 a year, whether that’s a SoCal or tOSU or Florida whoever.

  4. PackHooligan 10/14/2010 at 8:02 AM #

    Those are some very unexciting schedules for the most part.

  5. section2chuck 10/14/2010 at 8:02 AM #

    I’m sorry but that list of Future OOC opponents is pathetic…just look @ 2011 Libery, S.Ala, and Central Mich? WTF The only games I would even consider keeping are (Pitt, LSU, UConn, S.Fla, and Tenn) I agree about the ECU series, the fans want it, but it does us no good, it’s a lose/lose situation with them..If we win, we were supposed to, if we don’t it’s like they have won the National title…Also, can we please start scheduling more SEC, Big 12, and Big 10 teams? I am ok with 1 easy OOC game @ the beginning of the season, but after that no more…

  6. coach13 10/14/2010 at 8:19 AM #

    I’d love to have 1 really tough/high profile program to play every year, 1 or 2 middle of the pack teams and 1 cream puff (get right game). Tennessee and LSU are the highest profile matchups i see. Hopefully I’ll live long enough to see the the LSU match-up. Maybe my son will play for the Pack when they face LSU (one can dream).

    Forget rankings and such, I want some good match-ups. @ Cincy is descent but other than that next year’s opponents suck. Period.

    Is South Alabama D1? If you have to ask if they are D1, then the point is mute. How the hell dis we hook up with them?

    All I can say is we have 1 more opponent to add to the 2013 and 2014 schedule. Let’s shoot for good/high profile opponents. Yes Pitt is OK but lets go after an SEC/Big X, or Big XII mid to upper level team as mentioned by section2chuck.

  7. Sw0rdf1sh 10/14/2010 at 8:21 AM #

    Central Michigan? Really? What the hell did we do to take them off VT’s hands?

    I can feel the excitement welling up right now for that tailgate!

  8. DRW 10/14/2010 at 8:31 AM #

    What a crappy home non-conference schedule next year. It’s a good thing we get UNCheat and Clempson at home next year.

  9. old13 10/14/2010 at 8:39 AM #

    “Central Michigan? Really? What the hell did we do to take them off VT’s hands?”

    Foulup!

  10. wolfbuff 10/14/2010 at 8:41 AM #

    Underwhelming to say the least. I don’t mind playing ECU every couple of years or so. It’s good for the fans, the state, and they’re not an FCS school. S. Alambama and Central Michigan? That’s the best we could do? I like that we’re trying to get some SEC match-ups (if we can keep them), but would also like to see the occasional Big Ten, Big 12 and maybe even a PAC-10 school on the schedule. We should have one of those at least every other year. How cool would it be to play an Oregon, Colorado, or Penn St? I loved our annual game with Penn St in the 70’s.

  11. goalielax 10/14/2010 at 9:04 AM #

    until the State and the rest of the ACC learn from the SEC and schedule 4 home games against cream puffs, the league is always going to have to fight perception with away losses in the early season. state gains nothing for traveling to Pitt, UConn, CMU, etc. Have the conference games start in week 2, play cream puffs as late as November, and watch the rankings.

    The University of Florida is currently a Top 25 team because they beat Miami (OH), USF, and Kentucky at home and UT on the road (which is as tough as going on the road to play Duke or BC).

    It might be “cool” to step out of conference to play those games. But as this year has shown, it’s completely pointless. The ACC stepped up and played at least 8 ranked BCS schools: 5 on the road, 2 neutral, and 1 home and lost all 8 games. ACC schools lost at places like Ohio State, Oklahoma, Auburn, USC…all in the first couple of weeks of the season. The ACC was kaput in the eyes of the nation because of ambitions scheduling and overreaching.

    Meanwhile, the SEC has had the balls to go on the road a whopping four times total this season to play BCS schools (five times if you add in MSU going to non-BCS tulane). And the opponents they sacked up to play? Duke, Louisville, Colorado, and UConn. Not exactly a murderer’s row. And the only ranked SEC team to play on the road this year has been Bama at Duke.

    Long story short. We have a new TV deal. We should have a lot more cash to give to the schools. ACC schools need to adopt a SEC scheduling philosophy. Pay schools to come to our stadiums with no return trip guarantee. Stop trying to wow the public with a marquee win – the public cares more about quantity of wins…not quality of wins.

  12. Khan 10/14/2010 at 9:12 AM #

    I don’t understand why there’s always so much complaining about the ECU games. It’s not like we play them every year. Other very good teams around the country play lesser opponents that you could say the same thing about (“if good team beats bad team, they’re supposed to…if bad team beats good team, then good team looks bad”).

    ECU is a lesser team. We should win the game. It doesn’t matter who they are. NCSU > ECU. Period.

  13. Mike 10/14/2010 at 9:14 AM #

    I am tickled to see Presbyterian on the schedule. Hopefully we can get Roy to come to our house and find some fans he does not want there.

  14. 61Packer 10/14/2010 at 9:19 AM #

    What bothers me most besides the fact that it continues to be Cupcake City is that we’re playing teams like Central Michigan and South Alabama multiple times while not playing Duke or UVA, longtime conference rivals, for 5-year periods. This is stupid.

    Appalachian State often has a better non-conference schedule than we do, and their tough schedule has helped them build the state’s best football PROGRAM for the past decade. We’ll never have the state’s best football program by playing multiple non-conference teams that don’t help us prepare for ACC play.

    I love tailgating at CFS, but eventually we get around to going into the stadium to watch the games. Why can’t we see any Big Ten, Big 12, or Pac 12 teams on the home (or away) schedule? I wouldn’t mind seeing more SEC teams as well, especially Auburn or South Carolina (on a regular basis). I’d rather watch a game at Oklahoma or Nebraska or Michigan on tv instead of paying a hundred bucks for a pair of tickets to see us play South Alabama or Liberty or Western Carolina.

  15. LKNpackfan 10/14/2010 at 9:56 AM #

    Every BCS school in the country has a comparable OOC schedule, most do it for the exact reasons goalielax points out.
    Not sure what the big deal is.

  16. IMFletcherWolf 10/14/2010 at 9:56 AM #

    I’d like to see State play more “name” teams too, but those teams have to want to play us. Getting one of these programs to agree to a home and away with NC State is not easy. Like golielax said, they would probably prefer just a home game. We may not agree to an away game only, with no return trip to Raleigh.

    I was surprised Ohio State kept their word with our series during the Rivers era. Glad they did. Remember how both Notre Dame and Tennessee canceled our pre-arranged series before the first game took place.

    I can’t see us ever playing a PAC-10(12) team. It’s just too far and too expensive to travel.

    I would much rather see us play Duke (for example) as a non-conference game than South Alabama.

  17. wolfbuff 10/14/2010 at 10:29 AM #

    Ideally, we’d have bigger name teams clamoring to play us. But we don’t. And we are not at the point as a program where we can play cupcakes at home and have the pollsters take us seriously. If we’re to aspire to a perennial top 25 program, we may have to take the show on the road with some BCS schools. There are some – such as Iowa – that we should have no trouble getting home-and home series (schedule permitting). For the marquee programs like Michigan, Texas, Tennessee, etc. it may be attractive for them to get a 2-for-1 deal. They get 2 home games against a BCS conference team, we get an occasional big-time game at our place. We can do that and still get 6-7 home games a year with conference games and a couple of other “smaller” schools.

  18. Alpha Wolf 10/14/2010 at 10:44 AM #

    We need to get teams to come to Carter-Finley to play night games that will draw national attention. It is a major lift to recruiting when you are on ESPN or ABC at night playing an SEC, Big 12 or Pac10 team.

    We’re improving and these are the sorts of games that make national news, not playing S Alabama or Liberty.

  19. BamaPack 10/14/2010 at 10:59 AM #

    I think State will be the first real team that South Alabama will play in their history. Last year they were playing prep schools. This is their schedule this year:

    9/4/2010 Sat. Pikeville (Ky.) Mobile W 56-0
    9/18/2010 Sat. Nicholls State Mobile W 39-21
    9/25/2010 Sat. (1) vs. Edward Waters (Fla.) Dothan, Ala. W 64-0 10/2/2010 Sat. Kentucky Wesleyan Mobile W 52-3
    10/9/2010 Sat. Missouri S&T (Parents’ Weekend) Mobile W 45-6
    10/16/2010 Sat. at Lamar Beaumont, Texas 6 pm
    10/23/2010 Sat. at UC Davis Davis, Calif. 4 pm
    10/30/2010 Sat. Georgia State Mobile 4 pm Tickets
    11/6/2010 Sat. Henderson (Ark.) State (Homecoming) Mobile 4 pm 11/11/2010 Thu. Arkansas-Monticello Mobile 6 pm Tickets

  20. LKNpackfan 10/14/2010 at 11:26 AM #

    We’re doing them one helluva favor. One game – sure, understandable. Three games?
    The team began play in 2009 with a planned full transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) by 2013.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Alabama_Jaguars_football

  21. Classof89 10/14/2010 at 11:52 AM #

    I’d like us to schedule some more Big 12 series. The Texas Tech one was a lot of fun. How about Missouri? Have we EVER played Missouri in football?

  22. Classof89 10/14/2010 at 11:54 AM #

    When we play Liberty next year, will the visiting fans be passing out Bible tracts in the parking lot?

  23. WolftownVA81 10/14/2010 at 12:00 PM #

    For the most part, boring.

  24. SMD 10/14/2010 at 12:01 PM #

    As I read these future schedules, what stands out to me is how many home games we’ll have. Given that the season is 12 games, and four of those are home conference games, we ALWAYS should have three home non-conference games and one away non-conference game to provide us with seven home games.

    That doesn’t look to be the case for 2012 and 2014. It’s great to see TN in Atlanta, but from a home scheduling standpoint, we should have treated that as a road game and not given up anymore home, non-conference games.

    We have a home field advantage that we should do everthing to protect, and setting 7 games as the bar doesn’t seem unreasonable.

  25. PackMan2012 10/14/2010 at 12:06 PM #

    As to why you don’t see much Pac-10, Big-12, etc. – Each NCSU varsity sports team is allowed one trip across the half-way point in the country. Maybe the scheduling could be done in case of the possibility of a bowl game across the country, as administration wants to stick to their policy.

    As to a couple of the other future games: Central Michigan, UConn, S. Florida, Pitt? Why not, I’d say the same thing to ECU, at least they’re D-1A, oops I mean FBS teams.

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