NC State checks in at No. 26 in preseason FPI

ESPN released its preseason Football Power Index rankings earlier this week, and of the early computer projections I’ve seen so far, FPI is the least enthused about NC State. The metric has State at No. 26, fifth in the ACC behind Clemson, Pittsburgh, Miami, and UNC.

And that’s just totally, like, its computeratin’ machinatin’ opinion, man. The odd thing is that FPI had NC State at 16 to end 2021, so it’s expecting the Wolfpack to get a little bit worse in 2022. Short of an injury to Devin Leary, that doesn’t seem likely. Not entirely outside the realm of possibility, but not terribly likely.

FPI gives NC State a mere 7% chance of winning the Atlantic Division, but on the bright side, a nearly 96% chance of reaching six wins. My system is giving us a 158% chance of winning six games, though I’m still working out the kinks. The true number may be closer to 130%.