:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55826857/usa_today_9737087.0.jpg)
NC State’s full 2017 non-conference schedule has not yet been released—Kevin Keatts said during his press conference last week that he’s still finishing it up. But we do know that State will open the season in Raleigh against VMI, thanks to a report from Randy King of The Roanoke Times.
The Keydets are coming off a 6-24 season that included only four wins over D-I programs. They ranked 328th in the Pomeroy Ratings. Real bad team. They don’t even run that fun/crazy super-up-tempo system anymore, since that coach left for The Citadel. (The Citadel does run that fun/crazy system. Shoulda scheduled those guys.)
This is in line with what we should expect from the upcoming schedule. Between the Battle 4 Atlantis games and league play, NC State is going to see plenty of tough opponents, and Keatts has made it pretty plain that he isn’t looking for any significant challenges outside of those matchups, which is fair enough.