NC State, West Virginia Agree to Football Series

Tom Fornelli of Cbssports reports that West Virginia University and North Carolina State University have agreed to a home-and-home football series for 2018 and 2019. This will fulfil the ACC requirement of a non-conference major conference opponent for NC State in those seasons.

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This is a good sign. I more or less ripped State’s schedule for this current season earlier. Their effort to go and schedule West Virginia is an example of the type of game that the Big Four schools should be seeking.

West Virginians looking to leave the state often come down I-77 to Charlotte and the Research Triangle also attracts transplants. Therefore there is more support for local teams to play West Virginia than you might think.

Jul 22, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Day at the Omni Dallas. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia recently played a series against East Carolina. They are also interested in playing old rival Pittsburgh again, if they can get Pitt interested.

Where NC State will be in 2018 is anyone’s guess. The Doeren regime will be more entrenched by then, assumedly. That means that if Dana Holgorsen keeps the West Virginia job, that game would feature an awful lot of offense and possibly produce a score in the forties or fifties. Very few players currently on their rosters would play in that far off game.

Nov 23, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren looks on against the East Carolina Pirates at Carter Finley Stadium. The East Carolina Pirates defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack 42-28. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

This is what needs to be done. Teams like West Virginia will have to become staples on every ACC roster to appeal to the new playoff committee. Don’t stop now. This can be but a first step to a much better scheduling philosophy that can help the ACC gain more recognition for its football.