NC State slots into top 5 of ACC preseason poll

The ACC released its 2023 preseason media poll Tuesday morning, predicting the conference’s order of finish this fall. NC State ended up at No. 4 in the poll with 1,662 total points, including 1 first place vote.
Following a rule change by the conference that eliminated divisions, the preseason poll is no longer sorted into divisions. The Wolfpack is slotted between No. 3 UNC (1,981 points and 5 first-place votes) and Miami (1,553).
Clemson sits atop the preseason poll by a margin of less than 100 points, directly in front of Florida State. Both the Tigers and the Seminoles carry a lot of hype going into the 2023 season following productive offseasons.
UNC is coming off of an ACC championship appearance and returns conference player of the year and quarterback Drake Maye. NC State finished 2022 with a 2-1 record against teams ranked in the top 3 by the poll.
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Head coach Dave Doeren has lofty goals for the Pack going into this season.
“I think the ceiling is being the best in the league,” Doeren said during ACC media day. “That’s our goal. We can’t control the stats and all the things outside of the ACC. We’ve got to try to win the ACC.”
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This year’s ACC championship is scheduled for Dec. 2. Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium will host the game. Based on the new rules, the two leading programs in win percentage at the end of the regular season will advance to the title matchup.
NC State kicks off its 2023 season Aug. 31 against UConn on the road at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Here’s the full preseason poll, courtesy of theacc.com.
1. Clemson (103), 2370
2. Florida State (67), 2304
3. North Carolina (5), 1981
4. NC State (1), 1662
5. Miami, 1553
T6. Duke, 1511
T6. Pitt, 1511
8. Louisville, 1344
9. Wake Forest, 1181
10. Syracuse, 826
11. Virginia Tech, 678
12. Georgia Tech, 633
13. Boston College, 561
14. Virginia, 365
In preparation for the official start of the Aug. 2 preseason, this is NC State’s full 2023 football schedule.
Date | Opponent | Location |
Aug. 31 (Thursday) | at Connecticut | East Hartford, Conn. |
Sept. 9 | NOTRE DAME | Raleigh |
Sept. 16 | VMI | Raleigh |
Sept. 22 (Friday) | at Virginia | Charlottesville, Va. |
Sept. 29 (Friday) | LOUISVILLE | Raleigh |
Oct. 7 | MARSHALL | Raleigh |
Oct. 14 | at Duke | Durham, N.C. |
Oct. 28 | CLEMSON | Raleigh |
Nov. 4 | MIAMI | Raleigh |
Nov. 11 | at Wake Forest | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
Nov. 18 | at Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, Va. |
Nov. 25 | NORTH CAROLINA | Raleigh |