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NC State football debuts in College Football Playoff Top 25

MattCarterby: Matt Carter11/02/22TheWolfpacker
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NC State safety Tanner Ingle (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Since the preseason, NC State football has been ranked in every poll conducted by either the Associated Press or the coaches. Thus the fact that the Wolfpack also debuted in the first poll released by the College Football Playoff committee is unsurprising.

This is the fifth year in the last seven that NC State at some point was rated in the top 25 by the CFP.

NC State, which is 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, is ranked No. 22. The two losses on the Wolfpack’s schedule came against fellow rated teams — No. 4 Clemson and No. 20 Syracuse. Saturday’s opponent for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh is also ranked, No. 21 Wake Forest. Like NC State, the Demon Deacons are 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

The other ACC team ranked in the CFP poll is North Carolina at No. 17. NC State travels to Chapel Hill on Friday, Nov. 25 for the regular season finale. That game will be a 3:30 kickoff at Kenan Stadium.

If Clemson wins out and makes the College Football Playoffs, the next-highest rated ACC team will be chosen for the Orange Bowl.

NC State is not a stranger to the CFP Top 25. In 2017, the Pack was ranked in 4 of 6 releases. The following year, the Pack was listed in the first two editions. In 2020, the Wolfpack was in the top 25 for the final weeks.

Last year was the first time that NC State found itself ranked in all six releases of the CFP Top 25.

The top-ranked team in the CFP top 25 this year is Tennessee. Earlier this week, a report indicated that the Vols and NC State football were close to finalizing an agreement to play each other in Charlotte for the 2024 season opener. The two teams kicked off the 2012 season vs. each other in Atlanta in a game won by the Volunteers.

The Vols lead five SEC teams in the top 11. Among the Power Five conferences, the ACC also has five rated teams, while the Big Ten has four, the Big 12 has four and the Pac-12 has five. The highest-rated Group of Five team is Tulane at No. 17.

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Week 10 CFP Rankings, Including NC State

1. Tennessee (8-0)

2. Ohio State (8-0)

3. Georgia (8-0)

4. Clemson (8-0)

5. Michigan (8-0)

6. Alabama (7-1)

7. TCU (8-0)

8. Oregon (7-1)

9. USC (7-1)

10. LSU (6-2)

11. Ole Miss (8-1)

12. UCLA (7-1)

13. Kansas State (6-2)

14. Utah (6-2)

15. Penn State (6-2)

16. Illinois (7-1)

17. North Carolina (7-1)

18. Oklahoma State (6-2)

19. Tulane (7-1)

20. Syracuse (6-2)

21. Wake Forest (6-2)

22. NC State (6-2)

23. Oregon State (6-2)

24. Texas (5-3)

25. UCF (6-2)

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