NC State had a very good season, one of its best ever, finishing the regular season 9-3 (5-3). Yet, they remain unranked in the Week 15 polls.
On the one hand, it doesn’t make sense to get worked up by these things. Outside of finishing in the CFP top 4, or maybe the top 12 where a New Years 6 bowl game is on the line, rankings don’t REALLY matter. Right?
But actually, they do matter. To be able to say to recruits that we’re finishing consecutive seasons ranked in the top 25 makes a difference. Dave Doeren wanted to schedule a 12th game to have the potential to win 9 or 10 games.