NC State moves up 8 spots in SP+ ratings after beating Pitt

After that disaster at Virginia Tech, NC State responded well in another tough road situation and its performance in defeating Pitt was good enough to move the Wolfpack up eight spots in SP+, to No. 64.

That overall rating may feel underwhelming—if not unjust—but does represent significant improvement on where the team finished the 2019 season, which was somewhere around 95th. You can’t get it all back at once! Y’know, short of Philip Rivers or Russell Wilson walking through the door.

NC State’s offense improved from 80th going into the Pitt game to 61st after—a solid effort against the No. 5 defense in the country will do that. The Pack’s defense also improved, going from 80th to 72nd. We’ll probably just have to live with the defense being a liability this year, but if the offense continues improving under Devin Leary, this can still be a successful season.

The Wolfpack’s next opponent, UVA, is No. 38 in SP+, with an offense that ranks 55th and a defense that ranks 29th.