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NC State opens as underdog ahead of road trip to Pitt

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman10 hours agofleischman_noah
CJ Bailey
Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) throws a pass against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

After dropping each of its last three games against FBS competition, NC State is back on the road to face off with Pitt Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m., ACCN) following the Wolfpack’s first open date of the season. 

And, well, the Wolfpack is a road underdog for the second straight week as the Panthers opened as a 7.5-point favorite, according to the Action Network.

NC State, which didn’t cover as a 23.5-point underdog at Notre Dame in Week 7, is 3-4 against the spread this fall. The Wolfpack covered a 42.5-point spread in the 46-point win over Campbell, while it followed Las Vegas’ lead in its wins over Virginia (-3, 35-31) and at Wake Forest (-7, 34-24). It, however, didn’t cover in its win over ECU (-13.5, 24-17) and its losses at Duke (45-33, +3.5), against Virginia Tech (-9.5, 23-21) or at Notre Dame. 

The Pack, which is 2-0 at Pitt under coach Dave Doeren, is looking to snap the Panthers’ three-game winning streak this weekend. Pitt (5-2, 3-1 ACC) is 5-2 against the spread, which includes it covering in each of its last three games. 

Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey will lead NC State’s offense into Pittsburgh as he has thrown for 1,846 yards (the 17th-most in FBS) with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions on a 72.1 percent completion rate. 

While Bailey is set to square off with the Panthers , he will be aided by redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers, the ACC’s leading rusher with 739 yards and five touchdowns on 112 attempts as he’s averaging 6.6 yards per carry. 

In addition to Smothers, the Wolfpack’s wide receiving corps is paced by sophomore Terrell Anderson, who has posted 24 receptions for 445 yards and four scores. Senior tight end Justin Joly, meanwhile, has provided a big-bodied target for Bailey to find over the middle with his team-best 30 catches for 264 yards and a trio of touchdowns. 

Defensively, meanwhile, graduate linebacker Caden Fordham is on pace to set a new career best with 69 total tackles through the first seven games as he leads all Power Conference players in that statistic. He has 30 solo stops, while adding 2.0 sacks. Graduate defensive end Sabastian Harsh is the Wolfpack’s top pass rusher with 2.5 sacks to go with 20 total quarterback pressures as he has logged 23 total tackles in his first season in Raleigh.