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Plenty can and will change, but last season's Pomeroy Ratings can at least give us an idea of the relative strength of the teams on NC State's non-conference schedule.
Below is a bit more on each non-conference opponent, sorted by how each team finished 2014 ranked in the Pomeroy Ratings. Yes, Tennessee really finished at No. 7. I also included each team's national rank in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and pace.
| 2014 | Pomeroy Rating | Offense Rank | Defense Rank | Tempo Rank |
| Tennessee | 7 | 17 | 19 | 323 |
| Cincinnati | 23 | 110 | 8 | 317 |
| Louisiana Tech | 34 | 78 | 26 | 18 |
| West Virginia | 68 | 26 | 154 | 94 |
| Boise State | 79 | 28 | 169 | 229 |
| Richmond | 93 | 192 | 48 | 298 |
| Purdue | 97 | 122 | 100 | 59 |
| Wofford | 182 | 257 | 108 | 339 |
| South Florida | 186 | 228 | 150 | 219 |
| Charleston Southern | 231 | 161 | 283 | 125 |
| Hofstra | 265 | 169 | 324 | 214 |
| Jacksonville | 294 | 198 | 338 | 44 |
| Jackson State | 307 | 334 | 206 | 144 |
The Pack's season begins with those bottom three, all of which will be replacing multiple high-workload players. Jackson State is losing a guy named Julysses Nobles, and that is not the sort of name loss you get over like nothing happened. I have been saying "I am Julysses!" aloud in a matter-of-fact fashion for the last five minutes and I feel 10 feet tall. Just lifted a car with one hand.
Those teams represent the gentle nudge into 2014-15 that Mark Gottfried is giving the Pack, but December is going to be a grind. (There's that Wake Forest game in December, too.) I've been really excited in particular about that Louisiana Tech matchup ever since that news surfaced in early July. Two top-50 teams that don't mind getting up-and-down? Yeah, sign me up for that please. That's gonna be a good time.