2013 Football Scheduling & State hosts Richmond on Sept 7th

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It was announced today that NC State will play host to Richmond in Carter-Finley Stadium on September 7, 2013.

Although that is the first official confirmation of football dates for next season, it is not the extent of our knowledge of the 2013 football schedule. In addition to Richmond, State will also play host to Louisiana Tech, Central Michigan and East Carolina in the out of conference component of our 2013 schedule.

It is expected, although it has not been formally announced, that Dave Doeren’s debut as NC State’s Head Football Coach may take place on August 31st against Louisiana Tech, who just hired Skip Holtz as their new head coach.

Unless more changes are brought about by conference re-alignment, Doeren’s first season as head coach will see him host Clemson, Maryland, and North Carolina in Raleigh while traveling to Boston College, Florida State and Wake Forest. (Please, Dave, win AT Wake Forest and restore order to the world!) The site has not yet been designated for State’s match up against new Atlantic Division foe, Syracuse. State will also play a yet un-disclosed Coastal Division team to round out the eight game ACC schedule.

Coach Tom O’Brien was obviously the primary architect of the 2013 out of conference schedule and the stature of opponents underscores his philosophy as he was not known for wanting to ‘go large’ on the challenges. Just today Phil Steele ranked the difficulty of 2012 football schedules and NC State came in at #68 between Miami (OH) and Buffalo. You can click here to review the entire list that quantifies a point we made a lot this past season that UNC-CHeats schedule was about as weak as it could possibly have been. (Please note the list includes the entire schedule and is not exclusive to out of conference games.)

Coach Doeren won’t have to wait long to put his stamp on scheduling as State’s schedule opens up significantly after 2014 – the Wolfpack only has one scheduled non-conference game in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

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41 Responses to 2013 Football Scheduling & State hosts Richmond on Sept 7th

  1. TruthBKnown Returns 12/18/2012 at 9:56 AM #

    wilmwolf80, the difference is if you’re going to play a team from a lower division, you want to play one that is a sure win. The only benefit from playing a lower division team is the sure win aspect of it. You have nothing else to gain. But if you play one that competes for championships in that division, you have a good chance of losing it if you’re in a rebuilding year like we are.

    Alabama and LSU can think what they want about us. But at least we are in the same division as they are.

  2. 61Packer 12/18/2012 at 10:45 AM #

    And Alabama and LSU are as far ahead of us right now as Richmond is ahead of Richmond County.

  3. TruthBKnown Returns 12/18/2012 at 11:03 AM #

    61Packer, you are correct.

    But that make them an invalid comparison. We schedule “the likes of Richmond” because we want a sure win. But they are not necessarily a sure win. And they are in a lower division.

    Alabama and LSU might schedule us for similar reasons, but barring a miracle, we would also be a sure win for them. And we are in the same division.

    So the comparison is invalid.

  4. wilmwolf80 12/18/2012 at 11:13 AM #

    We don’t play any more or less cupcakes than anyone else. At this point in time, the absolute best we can hope for OOC wise is a neutral site game with a big name. No top-tier team is going to agree with a home and home series with us, for the same reason we wouldn’t agree to one with Central South Northeast Whoever.

    And the admin is never going to be able to please everyone. From reading the comments, people want us to play a hard OOC schedule. But those same people don’t want to see us travel to an SEC school and get our butts whipped. People want to see us play quality cupcakes, but not with so much quality that they can beat us. There is no way to make all of these things happen.

    With the stature our team has right now, our only options are to schedule home games with whatever Sisters of the Poor college we can get, and somehow luck into a few away games against SEC teams that will kick our butt. That’s not settling, or being defeatist, it is just the hard truth.

    If we start winning all the games that we a supposed to win in conference, then maybe things will change. Hopefully the new staff can make that happen. Until then, when you lose random games to Wake, Duke, Miami, Maryland, etc. every year, finish middle of the division and go to a low tier bowl, this is what you get.

    As far as affecting your viewing and season ticket experience, if you don’t want to watch us play a crappy team, then don’t. Yes, you not buying a ticket will hurt the program, but so what, you have to do what is best for yourselves. Or buy your tickets like normal, and donate the ones you don’t want to someone that may not normally be able to afford to go to a game. I’m sure they would be grateful regardless of the crappy opponent.

  5. TruthBKnown Returns 12/18/2012 at 11:19 AM #

    wilmwolf80, I’m not saying we should play all four OOC games against awesome teams. But if we’re going to play a creampuff from a lower division, let’s make sure we play one that we’ll be sure to beat by 50+ points.

  6. triadwolf 12/18/2012 at 11:36 AM #

    It’s mostly about money. All the BCS conference schools want to maximize the number of home games they have. The lower level schools are happy to travel because of the money they’ll make. If we’re going to play a upper echelon school, we’re likely going to have to go on the road because they won’t sacrifice home game revenue.

    If conference realignment/expansion continues it’ll be a moot point. Everyone will be playing a couple home tune-up games before the start of a 9 or 10 game conference schedule. Every year they’ll be a few early season TV driven match-ups between good teams, but that’ll be it.

    This is what will eventually drive ND to become a full time conference member in football. If it all settles out at 16 team conferences there won’t be anyone for ND to schedule as an independent because no one will want to, or have the need to add any quality teams before the grind of 9 or 10 conference games.

  7. 61Packer 12/18/2012 at 11:51 AM #

    As long as Notre Dame keeps on winning in football, and replacing teams on their schedule like Stanford, Michigan and Michigan State for the likes of Wake Forest, Duke, Syracuse and Virginia, the Irish will NEVER abandon the cozy setup they have with the ACC. They’ve learned that they can have their own cake and eat it too.

    It’ll be up to the ACC to give ’em the boot for a full-time member in all sports. As long as the ACC has John Swofford as its commissioner, ND will do just what it did to the Big East- make them think they might one day be a full-time member, with absolutely no intention of doing that.

    Why are so many people having so much trouble understanding that Notre Dame will NEVER join another conference? Unless the Big Ten comes to them with a sweetheart deal, they’ll ALWAYS remain independent in football and will leech on to any conference dumb enough to take them in as a partial member for all other sports.

    Great deal for them, bad deal for the Big East and now the ACC.

  8. triadwolf 12/18/2012 at 12:47 PM #

    If things remain the same Notre Dame will most likely never join a conference as a full member, but things are not staying the same. The ONLY reason ND agreed to play 5 ACC conference games is because they are finding it increasingly difficult to fill their future schedules, and conference realignment/expansion is the reason.

    With 4 OOC games teams are willing take a risk and use one of those slots against a quality team like ND. When that number drops to 2 or 3 OOC games, the likelihood of teams giving up one of those guaranteed home revenue slots and adding another potential loss drops significantly.

    I didn’t say ND would join the ACC, but if the BCS conferences end up at 16 teams each, there won’t be enough quality teams available for ND to fill their schedule. At that point they’ll be forced to join a conference or be stuck playing the likes of ECU, Houston, etc. If that happens they’ll never be able to play for another national championship and the value of their TV contract will drop significantly.

    Overall I don’t like Swofford leading the ACC for multiple reasons, but at least he put the ACC in a favorable position if ND ultimately is forced to join a conference full time. They are the last good football addition left that’s not in the SEC, PAC 10, Big 10 or Big XII. Now if Swofford is still around when that happens, he’ll most likely screw up the deal and leave tons of money on the table – hopefully by then there’ll be a change at the top.

  9. MISTA WOLF 12/18/2012 at 1:02 PM #

    I might be way off here, but after a long day of teaching middle schoolers my brain is fried. I think what most are saying here( and I share the same sentiment) is that it is fine to schedule cupcakes but the ticket buyers deserve one OOC home game a year that gets us excited. Just like a basketball package you buy, to see Carolina or Duke play in Raleigh you also have to buy the tickets too see BC, Wake, Clemson etc. That’s part of the deal and it is fair. But when you buy home tickets and you play the likes of CM, ECU, Richmond and Wofford it gets frustrating. Schedule home-and-home with teams from the Big 10, Pac 12, or Big 12 where each year we have one game at home against a team and one game away against a team from one of those conferences. Do that each year and the cycle will repeat itself. I remember the series with Ohio State years ago. I was lucky to attend the game in Raleigh and the game at The Horseshoe. Carter Finley was rocking that evening and was packed to capacity. They want to make money and keep the ticket buyers happy play marquee matchups. It will do nothing but benefit our conference play.

  10. wilmwolf80 12/18/2012 at 2:32 PM #

    Mista Wolf- If it were just as easy as scheduling a home and home with teams from those conferences, don’t you think we would have games like that lined up? What I am saying is that other than money, we don’t really have much to offer teams to come and play us in Raleigh. We aren’t generally good enough that beating us will matter, and teams don’t want to risk losing a fluke game in our house. If we somehow become a top level team in the future, then we will find those series easier to schedule. College football has changed a lot since we played Ohio State. Conference expansion, realignment, and TV contracts make it harder and harder for middle of the road teams such as ourselves to schedule quality games.

  11. Classof89 12/18/2012 at 2:40 PM #

    The idea that the General Assembly somehow forced us to play ECU is largely mythological. Is it true that some gentle pressure from the Legislature caused us to resume the series after the post-1987 hiatus (when they trashed our stadium in a post game melee)? Yes. But that was going on 20 years ago. Did legislative pressure have anything to do with our buffoonish former AD signing the 8 or 9 game contract with ECU a few years back? Absolutely not. And even if it did, here’s a news flash–the old Democratic machine that used to run things in Raleigh has been completely swept away in the last two elections. The Democrats can now basically hold their caucus meeting in a broom closet. A new set of folks is in charge, and, as far as i can tell, who NC State and ECU are playing in football is WAY WAY down their list of things to take care of…

    If Debbie Yow dropped the entire series tomorrow because she has a better matchup to put on the schedule, I don’t think anyone down here on Jones St. would bat an eyelash. Now if she ditches ECU to schedule a 2nd FCS team every year (the likes of East South Central Mankato State), then she won’t have to worry about the Legislature raising hell…the fan base will beat the politicians to it…

  12. coach13 12/18/2012 at 2:58 PM #

    I’m OK with next year’s schedule. My biggest gripe has been playing 2 FCS opponents. One seems to be the norm for almost all FBS teams. 2 is embarassing.

    I’d like to shoot for at least one BCS opponent each year ,two from MAC,CUSA,or what’s left of BEAST. and 1 FCS.

    I assume in the next few years WE will be getting a shot at ND as well. Would love to see THEM in Carter Finley.

  13. Virginia Wolf 12/18/2012 at 5:25 PM #

    I think the idea that teams don’t want to play us is a myth. I know scheduling is difficult sometimes but it can be done. We’ve had home and away series with teams like Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan State, Florida, and So. Caro. in the past. We’ve had series with Tenn. and Okla. St. cancelled for whatever reason and we do have a series with LSU scheduled in the future. I think it takes some creativity in scheduling but it can be done. Hopefully, DY is working on some future schedules with these type teams now. I think what a lot of us are really looking for is “value” for our money and So. Ala, Liberty, Gardner-Webb, and Presbyterian is not value for our money. My opinion!

  14. Daily Update 12/19/2012 at 9:20 AM #

    I don’t consider last year’s schedule for us weak at all. We played UT at a neutral site and UConn on the road. That is two BCS opponents on the schedule. You can’t ask for more than that.

    Everyone plays at least two cupcakes. So it really doesn’t matter how bad those teams are.

  15. Daily Update 12/19/2012 at 9:24 AM #

    Also, in college football tough schedules don’t help you build a program. Win totals is what gets you press and rankings. It is the Boise St/VT model. They built their programs for years against easy schedules and then started trying to play good teams.

  16. statefan74 12/20/2012 at 9:58 AM #

    From a long-term fan’s viewpoint, I’d like to see us play at least 2-3 decent OOC games each year. I don’t like paying to see us play Gardner Webb, Richmond, S. Ala, etc. I like playing ECU bc they fill up the stadium, which needs horseshoeing upstairs around the N end. Till we win our Division or win most ACC games, we won’t begin to have a “national” program. Better to put as many in the stands with good home games.

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