This week, we’re examining each ACC team’s schedule, identifying the biggest games, looming upsets and most grueling stretches for each.

Next up: NC State Wolfpack

A win over rival North Carolina in the regular-season finale may have saved Dave Doeren’s job last year, but in 2017, he’s got a team that looks ready to seriously contend. After dropping three big games by a touchdown or less in 2016, this year’s schedule is less about finding the easy wins and more about the Wolfpack pulling off the difficult ones.

Toughest three-game stretch: Oct. 28-Nov. 11 (at Notre Dame, vs. Clemson, at Boston College)

Simply maneuvering the loaded ACC Atlantic this year won’t be easy, and those dates against Clemson and BC could be daunting. But last season, NC State came within a chip-shot field goal of knocking off the eventual champion Tigers in Death Valley, so there’s hope. Still, it took a monsoon for NC State to get by Notre Dame last year, and now the Wolfpack must travel to South Bend. Meanwhile, BC already toppled NC State last year, and this appears to be an improved Eagles team.

Potential trap game: Sept. 30 vs. Syracuse

NC State nearly knocked off Florida State last year and the Seminoles figure to be one of its biggest tests this year. Two weeks later is a date with Lamar Jackson and Louisville, an offense that left the Wolfpack shell-shocked last season. Then, stuck in the middle of the two, is Syracuse. Think that one’s a gimme? Look at what the Orange did to Virginia Tech last season, and it’s clear that Dino Babers’ crew isn’t going to make things easy on anyone.

Swing game: Oct. 14 at Pittsburgh

Talk about a game for the big boys in the trenches. NC State’s dominant defensive line vs. Pitt’s power run game. It should be fun. And if the Wolfpack pull off a win on the road, it also could be a critical turning point in the season. A bye week follows, with Notre Dame and Clemson on the horizon. Will NC State go into its toughest stretch riding high or stumbling to the finish line?

Projected W-L: Realistically, this is probably an 8-4 team thanks to the brutality of life in the Atlantic. But this feels like NC State could be nearing a tipping point, too. Let’s say the Wolfpack win their first three (they should) and pull the upset in Tallahassee. What then? Is 10-2 or 11-1 out of the picture? There’s a long way to go before we get to that point, and NC State is as likely to start 2-2 as 4-0, so for now, we’ll say we’re cautiously optimistic about the Wolfpack’s season.