I’ve been trying to think of an NC State football game in my time as a fan that felt this Big, and it’s tough to come up with much that compares.
There was that game against Maryland with a division crown on the line, but that one had no national stakes. The game at Wake Forest last year was a significant one, but lacked the true big game feel.
None of the games in 2002 during State’s run to 9-0 felt especially momentous ahead of time, at least that I can remember. There were no big ranked matchups in there, and by the time State got to the finale against FSU, the air was out of the balloon.