The Daily Nole

Opposing Views: Raleigh Always a Tough Place for FSU to Play

Damon Herota/FSU athletics

There are plenty of games Florida State has circled on its calendar for 2016, but the Nov. 5 trip to North Carolina State doesn’t seem to be one of them. History however, says the Seminoles shouldn’t take that trip lightly.

The Seminoles have lost five of their last nine trips to Raleigh. Though they won 56-41 in their last trip in 2014, FSU was forced to overcome an early 24-7 deficit.

“The atmosphere in Raleigh is incredibly underrated in my opinion,” said Harrison Huntley, an N.C. State correspondent for Atlantic Coast Confidential. “It’s easily one of the best venues in the ACC. That being said, N.C. State is notorious for playing to the level of their competition. How else do you explain losses to Wake and wins over FSU in the same season? It’s just the way it’s always been. A win over FSU could make (head coach Dave) Doeren’s seat a lot cooler, but would also solidify Carter-Finley (Stadium) as a dangerous place to play as a top team.”

As for Doeren, he’ll be in his fourth season as head coach of the Wolfpack. After a dismal 3-9 campaign in 2013 that included going winless in the ACC, Doeren has put together consecutive winning seasons. As pointed out by SB Nation’s Bill Connelly however, the Wolfpack have yet to beat a Power 5 team that finished with a winning record under Doeren.

“The next step for this program is to start winning the big game,” Huntley said. “Winning the Atlantic is a ways down the road, but most importantly, N.C. State needs to regularly finish (second or third) in the division. There’s no reason Wake (Forest), (Boston College), and Syracuse can’t be yearly wins (in their current state). That means to take the next step, N.C. State needs to beat Clemson, FSU, or Louisville each season, which they haven’t done under the current coaching staff. No one is asking for perfection, but winning the easy ones plus one or two big ones is where the program needs to go.”

Regularly competing for ACC titles is probably never going to be a reality for the Wolfpack, Huntley said, but regularly winning eight or nine games with the occasional 10th is a realistic ceiling for the program. The Wolfpack won nine games under Tom O’Brien in 2010, but haven’t hit double-digit victories since going 11-3 under Chuck Amato in 2002 with a junior quarterback named Philip Rivers.

“ACC championships aren’t expected, especially the way the division currently looks,” Huntley said. “If that ever changes though, meaning Clemson and FSU have to rebuild, then there’s no question the Wolfpack need to contend.”

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