← Matchups

App State

SBC · 2-0 · power +7.5 · #98
Our numberNCSU -11.3 no book has priced this game

NC State

ACC · 1-1 (0-1 ACC) · power +13.8 · #62
Our side
MoneylineNCSU to win ours 67%
Projected score 21–32 APP – NCSU
2026-09-26 · kickoff TBD Carter-Finley Stadium · Raleigh, NC Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series NC State lead 6–0 · 6 meetings since 1932
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 18 ranks apart
App State Mountaineers #144 rush offense NC State Wolfpack #126 run defense
Pass game edge NC State Wolfpack 64 ranks
App State Mountaineers #203 pass offense NC State Wolfpack #139 pass defense
Run game edge NC State Wolfpack 86 ranks
NC State Wolfpack #32 rush offense App State Mountaineers #118 run defense
Pass game edge NC State Wolfpack 119 ranks
NC State Wolfpack #56 pass offense App State Mountaineers #175 pass defense
App State Mountaineers Balanced · 49% run Avg pace NC State Wolfpack Balanced · 51% run Ball-control
Dowell Loggains · 5-8 Dave Doeren · 84-56 · offense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
App State Mountaineers
DL Caleb Sandstrom 5 tkl · 3.0 sacks · 3.5 TFL #52 DL
TE Darrin Fugitt 11 rec · 113 yds · 1 TD #17 TE
WR Sam Pickett III 9 rec · 162 yds · 2 TD #88 WR
K James London 4 FG · 9 XP · 21 pts #27 K
NC State Wolfpack
LB Popo Aguirre 21 tkl #147 LB
TE Preston Douglas 5 rec · 71 yds · 1 TD #52 TE
RB Jayden Scott 148 rush yds · 2 TD #149 RB
DB Ronnie Royal III 9 tkl · 1 PD #499 DB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
App State MountaineersSBC +7.5 +4.9 +2.6 #98
NC State WolfpackACC +13.8 +9.2 +4.6 #62

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
App State offense vs NC State defense+0.3 pts
NC State offense vs App State defense+6.6 pts
Altitude · context only874 m lower than the visitor's home elevation

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.