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NC State squares off in Raleigh against a 5-1 Miami squad and their head coach, former Wolfpack assistant Manny Diaz. The Hurricanes are known for their dynamic dual-threat QB on offense and their ability to force turnovers on defense with an aggressive approach.
Will the Hurricanes turn around their recent offensive struggles (22.3 pts/game over their last three games) coming out of the bye week to notch the road win? Or will the Wolfpack have had enough time to get healthy and formulate a game plan to pull the upset?
Each BTP contributor provides their score prediction below, plus a quick blurb on their predicted outcome. Here we go!
AlecLower
Prediction: 27-21 (W)
Comment: “I have picked State to lose 5 of the 6 games it has played this year. This is the highest-ranked team it will play. For some reason, I am strangely confident that State will win. I don’t know why, but I got a hunch.“
JEOHankins2
Prediction: 24-30 (L)
Comment: “The King and Them are going to find ways to score as we’ve not been able to contain runners. A confident offense innovatively gets a run game going, Hockman makes some nice throws...but just not enough“
Why is this so hard?
Prediction: 15-29 (L)
Comment: “Each team matches its state’s electoral college votes.“
Steven
Prediction: 20-31 (L)
Comment: “For my own sanity I’ll continue to assume that State’s offense doesn’t have the scoring punch necessary to beat a good team, as long as Bailey Hockman is the quarterback. You can prove me wrong here if you want, Bailey, I won’t mind.“
TheRealEssad
Prediction: 24-41 (L)
Comment: “I hereby declare that the NC State will contribute to more “The U is back!” stories by giving King his highlight reel game if the Pack offense can’t stay on the field. Wolfpack need to switch to Ben Finley in order to keep up with a top 15 team in primetime.“
no23sports
Prediction: 24-34 (L)
Comment: “A sluggish first half by the offense leads to Ben Finley taking over after halftime. He provides a spark but it’s too little too late.“
WROncsu
Prediction: 24-21 (W)
Comment: “We’ve got to start running the ball better at some point. Why not after the bye?“
PirateWolf
Prediction: 26-31 (L)
Comment: “No big plays for da U, but short passing game sustains several long drives. O moves the ball decently well; Dunn nails two long FGs. Late 2-pt attempt and onside kick fail.“
BTP Staff Cumulative Prediction: 23-30 (L)
Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments!