Ranked Wolfpack?

Do either of the Wolfpack teams deserve a top-25 ranking this week? Both NC State and Nevada are 3-0 this week. Both have a victory over an FCS team, a midmajor and a BCS team.

For the FCS victory, NC State beat Western Carolina by 41 points, while Nevada beat Eastern Washington by 25. NC State's appeared to be the more impressive win. However, Eastern Washington is a top-25 FCS team, while Western Carolina lost its next game to a Division II team. We'll give the edge to Nevada.

For the midmajor victory, Nevada beat Colorado State by 45 points, while NC State beat UCF by 7. Colorado State has been downright awful and is the midst of a multi-season losing streak. UCF was a bowl team last year. Neither team has much more to go on this year. (Colorado State has a 3 touchdown loss to Colorado, while UCF has a touchdown win over an FCS team.) We'll give NC State a slight edge here for beating a better team, though we have to give Nevada style points for taking care of business.

For the BCS team, Nevada beat Cal by 21 , while NC State beat Cincinnati by 11. Cal came in ranked in the ocaches poll, while Cinci has been struggling all season. Nevada also looked convincing in its play, while NC State seemed to be trading fumbles with the Bearcats. Advantage Nevada.

Look for Nevada to show up in the lower section of the Top-25 (Cal's spot in the Coaches poll is up for grabs.) NC State should show up in "others receiving votes", with positioning depending more on what other teams do.