⚡ CFB Dashboard

RALEIGH, N.C. -- NC State football returns to Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday evening, with the Wolfpack looking to finish the non-conference schedule in style against App State. Here's how our staff sees the game going down. Michael Clark Let me start by saying logically this doesn't make sense, but this is a typical Dave Doeren bounce back game. Plus, I think the talent gap between all levels of college football has grown dramatically since the start of NIL. NC State's offensive line takes advantage of its size against Appalachian State and gets the run game going on early. In turn, CJ Bailey connects with the Pack's bigger receivers downfield for explosive plays against the Mountaineers' undersized secondary. The defense won't be able to limit Malachi Singleton's ability to extend plays with his scrambling and completely stop App State's ground game all night. But the defense slows down the Mountaineers' offense enough to pull out a comfortable win in primetime before entering ACC play. Final Prediction: NC State 38, App State 21 Charlie Gribble Still loading ... perfection takes time. Terrence McCallen Like the rest of us, this NC State team wants to wash last week out of everyone's mind. Leading for 59 minutes and 59 seconds at Vanderbilt and then losing on that fumble is the kind of loss that either breaks a team or lights a fire under it. I'm betting on the fire, which is why I'm picking NC State, and picking NC State big. It's a night game at Carter-Finley, the first meeting between these programs in 20 years, and that only strengthens my feeling that the Wolfpack win this one handily. I expect CJ Bailey and the coaching staff to come out angry, much like they did against Richmond. In-state games can always be dicey, and App State has a mythos of a giant killer, with historic wins over Michigan and Texas A&M. But this NC State team has the talent, and unfortunately for the Mountaineers, they're catching that talent angry and ready to give the college football world something else to talk about. Keenan Jackson, coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, has another big night. So does Bailey. Will Wilson, who has five rushing touchdowns on just 24 carries, probably finds the end zone once or twice on the ground. And with NC State averaging 223.3 rushing yards per game against an App State defense that gave up 187 on the ground at ECU, I expect the Wolfpack to wear the Mountaineers down late. Final Prediction: NC State 42, App State 17 Spencer Thomas The Wolfpack is back in Raleigh this weekend against an in-state team. App State makes the trip down the mountain to the capital city to face off against a team that shocked the world in the worst way possible. CJ Bailey and the Wolfpack offense were clicking on all cylinders until what happened ... well, happened. But let's look at the bright side of the Vanderbilt game. The defense and offense were playing to the level fans expected. App State is coming in 3-0 and looking to shock the football world by upsetting the Wolfpack. But I think NC State is ready to show the world that last week is the past and will do so in commanding fashion. Final Prediction: NC State 42, App State 24 Aron Disher I'm not sure you will ever find a game harder to move on from than the game that shall not be named last weekend. 3-0 App State will come into Raleigh looking to pull off an upset and capitalize on the devastating situation surrounding the Pack. CJ Bailey seems to be in good spirits this week, and a return home in front of the Carter-Finley crowd should go a long way toward restoring his relationship with Wolfpack Nation. In my eyes, this game is critical for the outlook of the rest of the season. NC State needs to win convincingly to keep this fan base engaged for the remainder of the year. If the Pack somehow drops this game, then Bailey's relationship with the fan base could take another major hit, and plenty of fans may write off the rest of the season. Thankfully, I don't see that happening here. App State may be undefeated against in-state opponents after knocking off both ECU and Charlotte, but the talent disparity between these two teams is simply too large. Bailey has a big game, and the Wolfpack cruise to a comfortable win under the lights. Final Prediction: NC State 41, App State 17 Cory Smith I would like to start by pointing out that I was so close to having a near-perfect prediction last week before NC State imploded on the final play. The Wolfpack was ahead, 31-28, with six seconds left to play, which was one point off my 31-27 prediction, which had the Wolfpack stopping the Vandy defense in its own territory a few more times ... then that play happened. Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades, though. So let's move forward for good. Saturday presents an opportunity for another hard reset, and I think the Wolfpack does exactly that. CJ Bailey bounces back with a commanding performance, throwing for 250-plus yards and multiple touchdowns to regain his confidence. For all his struggles on the road, Bailey has 18 total touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last seven home games. Meanwhile, App State's defense has found success with Malachi Singleton, Sam Pickett III and scheming open big-body tight ends. The Mountaineers can also utilize Jaquari Lewis to sustain drives, but the Pack's defense will get multiple stops in its own territory to allow the offense to pull away and get back to .500 before ACC play starts back up.  Final Prediction: NC State 45, App State 20