NC State at Clemson is choice for ESPN College GameDay
NC State football: welcome to the national spotlight. When the polls are updated Sunday afternoon, odds are good that the Wolfpack will be ranked in the top 10. And next Saturday, when ESPN College GameDay hits the road for the premier national pregame show, the destination will involve the Wolfpack.
Sunday morning, the show announced that they will originate from Clemson, where the No. 5-ranked Tigers will host NC State in a significant ACC showdown.
The last time that NC State football was involved for a College GameDay on ESPN was Oct. 23, 2004 when No. 3 Miami came to Raleigh. The Hurricanes won a 45-31 shootout that evening in Raleigh.
During that broadcast, Lee Corso chose to put the entire Mr. Wuf mascot outfit when picking the Wolfpack to defeat the Hurricanes.
NC State is 4-0 after sweeping the non-conference portion of the schedule, including a 41-10 win over Connecticut Saturday evening. The highlight of the September victories was a 27-14 home triumph over Texas Tech. The Red Raiders made the Pack look better by knocking off ranked Texas in overtime Saturday.
Clemson also is 4-0, including a pair of ACC wins. The Tigers made College GameDay a reality by knocking off ranked Wake Forest on the road, 51-45, in double overtime Saturday.
Going into Saturday, NC State-Clemson appeared to be one of two good bets to be the choice for College GameDay. The other was No. 2 Alabama at No. 10 Arkansas, but the Razorbacks lost 23-21 at Texas A&M, a defeat that will likely drop the Razorbacks out of the top 10.
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A trip to Fayetteville, Ark., would have been the first for College GameDay there since Nov. 11, 2006.
Following the College GameDay broadcast Saturday, Wolfpack fans will have to wait a while for the actual kickoff. The ACC officially announced that the gametime for the NC State-Clemson game will be at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. The TV networks had previously placed a 6-day hold on that and other league contests.
A year ago, NC State defeated the Tigers for the first time in head coach Dave Doeren’s tenure by winning 27-21 in double overtime. After the game, Doeren was spotted smoking a celebratory cigar while drinking an unspecified beverage out of red solo cup.
Saturday at Clemson will start a crucial three-game stretch for NC State football. The Pack will host undefeated Florida State, who is likely to find themselves ranked Sunday. FSU hosts Wake Forest this coming weekend.
Then NC State will travel to another surprising undefeated team in Syracuse, who already has 2 ACC victories. The Orange will have the advantage of being more well-rested. Syracuse, who has been receiving votes in the polls, hosts Wagner from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) this coming Saturday and then has a bye to prepare for hosting the Wolfpack.
