NC State’s a tougher test for Notre Dame than USC was, says Irish hoops coach

He’s probably right.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are taking on the NC State Wolfpack from Notre Dame Stadium this Saturday, and the stakes are pretty high. Both teams enter this game 6-1, and Notre Dame is coming off a huge 49-14 win over USC last week. Despite the confidence the big victory may have given Irish fans, ND basketball coach Mike Brey said at ACC media day on Wednesday that NC State may, in fact, be a better opponent than USC.

Brey obviously doesn’t coach football, but he just might be onto something here. The Fighting Irish, which lost to the Wolfpack 10-3 last season, is projected by S&P+ to lose to the Wolfpack on a neutral field.

One of NC State’s X-factors could be Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley, who’s thrown for 1,968 yards and 11 touchdowns with zero interceptions so far this season. NC State blogger Will Thompson of Backing The Pack pointed this out this week:

That's going to be a major factor in this game. Finley really has been incredible at managing the offense, limiting mistakes and keeping the offense on the field.

I'm fairly certain this is the best defense to date that NC State will have faced, so the offensive line is going to have their hands full. They've been pretty incredible at keeping Finley upright as well, which has helped him limit mistakes as well.

Finley doesn't get quite the praise as some of the more notable quarterbacks out there, but he's just as good. He's having a break-out season, and it's been really fun to watch.

Notre Dame is currently a home 7.5-point favorite. We’ll see if the Wolfpack can make it two in a row against the Fighting Irish.