No. 24 N.C. State looks for pre-Tennessee tuneup with home opener against Western Carolina

Western Carolina at No. 24 N.C. State, Thursday at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

BetMGM College Football Odds: No line.

Series record: N.C. State leads 7-0

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

N.C. State is opening a season with ambitions of being a contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference, bolstered by transfers like a 10,000-yard career passer in former Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall. The Wolfpack’s next game is a marquee matchup with No. 15 Tennessee in Charlotte, so this is a chance to get a first look at the roster against a Southern Conference team ranked No. 19 in the preseason Championship Subdivision poll.

KEY MATCHUP

Western Carolina has new coordinators on both sides of the football, with the offense standing out as a big change after ranking fourth in FCS in scoring (37.5 points) and first in yardage (504.1) under Kade Bell. But Bell has departed for Pittsburgh, and the offense is led by promoted assistant coach Rylan Wells. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack defense has its own uncertainty in terms of who will replace star linebacker Payton Wilson — the Associated Press league defensive player of the year, the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker and the Bednarik Award winner for top overall defensive player.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

WCU: QB Cole Gonzales. He threw for 2,803 yards last year to go with a program single-season record 28 touchdowns, finishing as the league’s offensive player of the year.

N.C. State: WR KC Concepcion. He was a freshman star who elevated his game through the second half of last season, finishing with 71 catches for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns.

FACTS & FIGURES

This is the fifth time the Catamounts will visit Raleigh in N.C. State’s season opener. ... N.C. State has won twice in shutouts and has averaged 47 points in the series. ... N.C. State won the last meeting 41-0 in 2019. ... Western Carolina is 0-9 against ranked Bowl Subdivision opponents, most recently losing 76-0 at Oklahoma in 2021. The Catamounts haven’t scored more than 16 points in any of those games, the first coming against Louisville in 2001.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football