With the college football season arriving in less than three months, speculation is abound and analysis is being put in circulation well before teams hit the field. Ranking teams is always a popular form in terms of examination and gauging possibilities, but much of those rankings are based on the team overall and the competition it will face.

Kyle Kensing of Athlon Sports ranked the Wolfpack's schedule as one of the toughest in the entire country this fall. He explains why he listed the Wolfpack as the No. 9 toughest schedule in 2018:

NC State's non-conference schedule is about as tough as a four-game slate with just one Power 5 opponent on it gets. The Wolfpack open with James Madison, which won the FCS national championship in 2016 and played for the title in '17; play a Marshall team that will contend for a Conference USA title on the road; and host 2017 bowl game participant Georgia State. Amid that run is a matchup with Big 12 opponent West Virginia. Both could be ranked in the Top 25 when the Mountaineers arrive in Raleigh, and this might be Dana Holgorsen's best team since arriving in Morgantown seven years ago. The inherent difficulty of the ACC Atlantic contributes to the Pack's placement in this top 10, but the full story is in the details. For example, State travels to Syracuse sandwiched between games at Clemson and vs. Florida State. The Wolfpack see a physical Wake Forest bunch on just five days' rest after hosting the Seminoles.

The over/under for wins for the Wolfpack has been set at 7.5 for the 2018 season, and that schedule is a good reason why. State didn't schedule any cupcakes this coming fall, even with three straight home games to start the season.

The Pack will kick off its season with a home opener at Carter-Finley against James Madison, a CAA powerhouse over the past couple of years, on Sept. 1 with the Dukes coming off a 14-1 season, only losing to North Dakota State in the FCS Bowl 17-13.

The third game of the season will be the last of the opening home stretch versus West Virginia before traveling to take on Marshall. West Virginia is at the No. 12 spot on Kensing's list and finished 7-6 last season. The Pack will look to hopefully carry a 3-0 record into Huntington, WV to take on Marshall, who earned an 8-5 record with 31-28 win over Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl.

After a home game against fellow ACC contender Boston College, the Pack will head to Clemson, SC to take on the Tigers, another ACC rival, who posted a 12-2 record while finishing first in the conference last season, losing to Crimson Tide 24-6 in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Though they are not on Kensing's list, anytime the Pack takes on Clemson -- who has a 57-28-1 record in the Textile Bowl -- it is a highly anticipated matchup with a playoff feel as of late.

The fifth conference matchup for the Pack will be a homecoming game against the Seminoles, who according to Kensing have "the toughest schedule" for the 2018 season. Florida State, coming off a 7-6 record in the 2017 season, has a new head coach in place with Willie Taggart and plenty of questions to answer on both sides of the ball ahead of the 2018 campaign.

The penultimate game of the season will be against Louisville, who placed No. 16 on Kensing's list and finished last year with an 8-5 record. This will be the first contest between the two teams since Lamar Jackson exited the program, with the Pack taking the final matchup against the former Heisman winner. When the Pack takes on Louisville in Kentucky this coming season, junior Jawon Pass, who has moved up to No. 1 on the depth chart, will most likely be in the starting role at the quarterback position for the Cardinals.

NC State will finish the 2018 season against UNC and with QB Ryan Finley -- fifth in passing yards in the program's history -- choosing to stay, the Pack will look to improve on the success of its previous nine-win season.