Editor’s note: Saturday Road’s annual Crystal Ball series continues today with NC State. We’ll stay with the ACC Atlantic all week. Next week, we’ll predict every game for every ACC Coastal team.

RALEIGH — On the field, NC State’s season finished on the highest of highs. Down by 9 with less than 2 minutes to go against arch-rival North Carolina, it roared from behind to score two touchdowns and stun the hated Tar Heels before a raucous home crowd.

So why did the Wolfpack end 2021 a month later with the kind of feeling you get after drinking a gallon of milk a week past its expiration date?

Coach Dave Doeren and his players were left with a sour taste in their mouths and sick to their collective stomachs after a Holiday Bowl fiasco that saw UCLA pull out of the game literally hours before kickoff because of a COVID outbreak.

The disappointment cost State an opportunity to reach the 10-win mark in a season for only the second time in program history. At the same time, though, it motivated so many veteran players to “run it back” – a slogan that has become their rallying cry – that the Wolfpack might be even better equipped to accomplish the goal this season.

And perhaps even more.

The list of players deciding to stick around rather than entering the draft or moving on with their lives outside of football is impressive. It includes quarterback Devin Leary, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, and 5th-year center Grant Gibson along with defensive leaders like linebackers Payton Wilson and Isaiah Moore, tackle Cory Durden, cornerback Derrek Pitts and safety Tanner Ingle.

“I think it speaks volumes that they want to be part of it,” Doeren said.

It’s an even louder statement that the players aren’t shying away from talk that this might finally be the year that State wins an ACC championship, something it hasn’t done since 1979.

With 17 starters returning, including preseason ACC Player of the Year Devin Leary at quarterback and all but one member of a defense that allowed the second-fewest points in the ACC last season, it’s a realistic possibility.

In order to make it a reality, Doeren and his staff will have to find a replacement for top-6 NFL draft pick Icky Ekwonu at left tackle, restock their running back room and most important, find a way to avoid the annual misfortune – either random or self-inflicted – that always seems to find them and has spawned its own expletive-laced hashtag.

“Nobody likes feeling like you got the raw deal, (but) it’s going to come full circle and we’re going to be smiling at the end of it,” Doeren said. “I believe that whole-heartedly. It’s about how you act and how you respond and who you are with. I get to go to work with a great staff and a great locker room and that’s going to come full circle. It will. I believe that. This is going to be a great time for that to happen.”

The Chicago Cubs finally won a World Series after 108 years. The Boston Red Sox ended their curse after 86 and the Philadelphia Eagles released 57 years of frustration with a Super Bowl title in 2017.

Could this really be the year the Wolfpack joins that club and ends its own ACC championship drought? Let’s take a look:

Replacing Icky

The Wolfpack return 4 of 5 starters on the offensive line, but the one hole that has to be filled is a big one. It belonged to 6-4, 320-pound All-American left tackle Ekwonu, who parlayed a standout college career into selection by the Carolina Panthers as the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

It was generally assumed going into spring practice that veteran Bryson Speas would slide over to the left side after starting every game at right tackle in 2021 with redshirt sophomore Timothy McKay taking over over the opposite side. But those plans might have changed thanks to the emergence of junior college transfer Anthony Belton.

A 6-6, 330-pound redshirt sophomore, Belton saw action in 2 early-season blowouts for the Wolfpack last season. He spent most of his first year in the program working to get into better shape with strength coach Dantonio “Thunder” Burnette and his efforts have paid off. Belton was one of the biggest surprises in spring practice and his improvement continued through the offseason.

“He’s had a tremendous offseason from January all the way through the summer,” Doeren said. “He’s one of the guys who Coach Thunder has really pointed out. He’s changed his body in a good way. He’s in great shape, he’s bending well, he’s long, he’s got really good measurables. He had a chance to learn from the best last year and you can see that he really took that to heart.”

If Belton isn’t the starting left tackle for State’s opener at East Carolina, he’ll at least have worked his way into the rotation along with Speas, McKay, fourth-year starting center Grant Gibson and guards Dylan McMahon, Derrick Eason and Chandler Zavala, who was granted a medical hardship after missing most of last season with an injury.

Payton’s place in the lineup

State’s ACC trio of linebackers has been reunited with the return from injury of Isaiah Moore and Payton Wilson.

This big question heading into 2022 is how long the group will remain together.

Inside LB Moore, who has been a durable performer throughout his career other than the 5 games he missed at the of last season with a left knee injury, isn’t as much of a concern as is Wilson, whose all-out physical style of play has caused him as much pain as the opposition during his Wolfpack career.

The redshirt junior outside LB missed his entire true freshman year rehabbing from knee surgery before leading State in tackles in 2019 despite starting only 1 game. He followed that up by leading the ACC with an average 10.8 tackles per game on his way to first-team All-ACC honors the following year. But he missed all but the first 2 games last year with a recurring shoulder injury.

Despite his injury history, he has no plans on scaling back his aggressiveness now that he’s been cleared physically and is back on the field.

“I can’t go out there thinking about injuries or I’m most likely going to get hurt,” Wilson said. “So I play every play like it’s my last at 100 percent and give my all every play.”

Houston, it’s not a problem

Ekwonu isn’t the only key performer Doeren and his staff will have to replace on offense. There’s also a void at running back, where both Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. have moved on after combining for 1,371 rushing yards and 49 catches last season.

The good news is that there’s a viable veteran option ready to step in.

Junior Jordan Houston has spent his first 3 seasons at State patiently waiting for his turn to be the team’s primary ballcarrier, doing whatever he could to contribute – including a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown to help beat North Carolina last season.

“He’s ready,” Doeren said of Houston. “I’m excited for Jordan. Not a lot of players wait their turn in today’s college football and he has, so I’m pulling for him.”

When Houston has had opportunities to run the ball, he’s performed well – averaging 4.6 yards per carry while also proving to be an effective 3rd-down back in the passing game. Four-star true freshman Michael Allen will also get his share of carries with redshirt freshman Demi Sumo and redshirt sophomore Delbert Mimms III also potentially factoring into the picture.

Game-by-game predictions

Week 1: at East Carolina (W)

This is a deceptively dangerous opener for the Wolfpack. ECU is an in-state rival that takes great pleasure in knocking off its higher-profile ACC neighbors, especially on those rare occasions in which they consent to make the trip to Greenville. In fact, the Pirates have beaten State in 4 of the 5 meetings at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. With ECU coming off its first bowl season in 7 years with a veteran lineup led by 4th-year starting quarterback Holton Ahlers, State will have to be at its best right out of the box to avoid a season-crushing upset. It will be up to the task, but just barely.

Week 2: vs. Charleston Southern (W)

A more traditional early-season guarantee game against an FCS team with a losing record in 2021. Buy a program for this one, because Doeren will be going deep into his depth chart on the way to running up the score on the overmatched Buccaneers.

Week 3: vs. Texas Tech (W)

This is the kind of game, against a Power 5 opponent picked to finish in the bottom half of its conference, in which the Wolfpack have traditionally come up small over the past few years. But those previous games – against Mississippi State last year, West Virginia in 2019 and South Carolina in 2017 – were all on the road. This time it’s at home and Leary and Co. will be inhospitable hosts in a high-scoring shootout.

Week 4: vs. UConn (W)

If this was a women’s basketball game, it would be must-see TV. But because it’s football, it will be little more than a tuneup for State’s ACC Atlantic Division showdown at Clemson the following week.

Week 5: at Clemson (L)

The Wolfpack finally got over the Clemson hump last season, winning in double overtime to break a 10-game losing streak to the Tigers. Now they have to figure out a way to break an even longer drought at Death Valley, where they haven’t won since 2002. The matchup will be intriguing, with the ACC’s best quarterback going up against the league’s best defense. While Leary will have some success throwing the ball, it won’t be enough as a Clemson team bent on revenge for last year’s loss pulls out a close one. Maybe even on another missed field goal.

Week 6: vs. Florida State (W)

Knowing they can’t afford another ACC loss to keep their title hopes alive, the Wolfpack bounce right back against a team they’ve always seemed to have success against in Raleigh – even when the Seminoles were among the league’s best. NC State has won 4 of its past 6 home meetings with FSU and is 4-1 in the past 5 games overall. The Seminoles finally appear to be heading back in the right direction, but they haven’t progressed enough yet to beat the Wolfpack on their own home turf.

Week 7: at Syracuse (W)

It seems like every year, the Wolfpack find a way to lose a game they have absolutely no business losing, and this could be a candidate for that. Even though State’s defense ranked No. 3 in the ACC against the run last season, they were still burned for over 100 yards on the ground by both Sean Tucker and quarterback Garrett Shrader (before sacks). They survived by rolling out to a big early lead and coasting to a 41-17 victory in Raleigh. A similar strategy will be equally successful in the rematch indoors at the Carrier Dome.

Week 8: Open

Week 9: vs. Virginia Tech (W)

The atmosphere at Carter-Finley Stadium for Thursday night games is notoriously wild and the home team usually rises to the occasion. Between the lights, the national television cameras and the cases of Old Tuffy that will be consumed in the parking lots in the hours leading up to kickoff, this one promises to be wild. Add the rebuilding Hokies into the equation and it results in a big Wolfpack victory.

Week 10: Wake Forest (W)

This is the game that tripped State up a year ago, but the Wolfpack are a different team against their in-state rival at home than they are in Winston-Salem. It’s also uncertain whether Wake quarterback Sam Hartman, who is out indefinitely with an undisclosed medical issue, will be back in action by this point in the season. It will be entertaining, because it always is when State and Wake get together, but this time the Wolfpack will get the better of the defending Atlantic Division champions.

Week 11: Boston College (W)

Yet another dangerous trap game, because unlike Wake Forest, the Wolfpack seem to play better against the Eagles on the road rather than at home. They’ve won 3 of their past 4 in Chestnut Hill, but just 1 of the 3 most recent meetings in Raleigh. But this is a different State team and they’re not about to get caught napping. At least not yet.

Week 12: at Louisville (W)

The Wolfpack traditionally have had trouble with dual-threat quarterbacks with a knack for improvisation and the Cardinals’ Malik Cunningham is that kind of talent. But Doeren and his team can sniff that 10th win they were denied the opportunity to get last year and they’ll find a way to bring it home.

Week 13: at North Carolina (L)

Remember that bad habit of losing a game they have no business losing? Well, it finally catches up with the Wolfpack at the worst possible time. The rival Tar Heels have been waiting for this one all year after coughing up a 9-point lead in the final 2 minutes in Raleigh last season and with their quarterback situation finally settled, they’ll be poised to get revenge. The loss won’t cost State a shot at the ACC title. Clemson going undefeated in league play will make that point moot. But it won’t ease the sting of a loss that leaves a bad taste in an otherwise successful season.

2022 projection: 10-2 (6-2), 2nd in ACC Atlantic

#1Pack1Goal

Forty-three years worth of back luck is a lot to overcome. Eventually, though, history and luck has to change.

Right?

If that’s all the Wolfpack was up against, the task of winning their first ACC football championship since 1979 would be much more reasonably achievable. But there’s still that pesky Clemson obstacle to clear and unlike last year, when they finally beat the Tigers for the first time in a decade, they’ll have to do it on the road.

Still, it’s not an unreasonable ask for Doeren and his veteran team.

This is as deep and talented a squad as State has put on the field at least since before Russell Wilson was a household name. And it’s an extremely motivated group after barely missing out on the Atlantic Division title and having their Holiday Bowl game against UCLA canceled at the 11th hour last year.

The Wolfpack have the weapons necessary to beat anybody on their schedule with preseason ACC Player of the Year Leary running the offense and virtually everyone back on a defense that was among the league’s best a year ago.

All they need is a little luck. The good kind, not the kind that has haunted them for the past 43 years.