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The Wolfpacker Show: The Athletic's Grace Raynor

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•05/10/23•

TheWolfpacker

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NC State coach Dave Doeren (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

This Monday, TheAthletic.com began a series of feature stories surrounding intriguing teams in college football. First up on the list was the Wolfpack, and the result was 2,000-plus words by staff writer Grace Raynor about how a program like NC State football with a proven track record of winning has struggled to get over the hump and win an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title since 1979.

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A stat that helped illuminate the perplexity of the question was included in Raynor’s story:

“The program’s last five coaches — [Dave] Doeren, Tom O’Brien, Chuck Amato, Mike O’Cain and Dick Sheridan — have had a winning record at the school. Only 10 other Power 5 programs can make that claim. Nine of the 10 have won at least one national title during that stretch, and the other (Oregon) has won multiple conference championships.”

Raynor talked to a wide range of former NC State football players, including quarterback Mike Glennon and College Football Hall of Fame center Jim Ritcher, to get their inputs for why NC State has not gotten over the hump, as well as Doeren, the current head coach.

Raynor joined TheWolfpacker.com’s Matt Carter earlier this week for a half-hour edition of The Wolfpacker Show to discuss her article, including her main takeaways from her interviews.

Among the topics covered included:

• The notion of bad luck, or NC State “stuff” as some have described it, and the role that has plyed in the lack of ACC titles for ACC football.

• What is the perception of the Wolfpack program from those outside the fanbase?

• Does the brand name of archrival North Carolina play a role? One former NC State football player thought it might, but Carter offered his own input and suggested the impact may be different than some suspect to be the case.

• How much did divisional alignment within the ACC cost NC State opportunities to win a conference Championship?

• What will it take for the Pack to graduate from a program known for being consistently good to being more nationally relevant and on a higher stage?

All that and more in the latest episode of The Wolfpacker Show.

You can listen to that podcast below or also view the show, courtesy TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube channel.

The Wolfpacker Show: NC State Basketball March Madness Preview

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