When you think about NC State vs Notre Dame football, you probably imagine a clash of tradition against grit. One team has the golden helmets and the NBC contract; the other has a wolf mascot and a stadium that gets surprisingly loud for a school that isn't always in the top ten. But there is a weirdness to this series that most fans—even the die-hards—completely miss.
It isn't a long-standing rivalry. They've only played a handful of times. Yet, every single meeting seems to happen in a monsoon, a transition year, or a game where the stats make zero sense. Take the 2025 meeting. On paper, it was a 36-7 blowout in South Bend. If you just saw the score, you’d think the Irish steamrolled them. But if you actually watched CJ Carr and CJ Bailey trade blows early on, you saw a game that was one or two red-zone mistakes away from being a dogfight.
Football is funny like that. The scoreboard lies.
The Hurricane Game and Other Weirdness
The 2016 game is the one everyone brings up at bars. Honestly, it shouldn't have been played. Hurricane Matthew was dumping rain on Raleigh, and the field at Carter-Finley was basically a lake.
Final score? 10-3.
NC State won without scoring an offensive touchdown. They blocked a punt. That was it. Notre Dame’s center couldn't even snap the ball because it was so slick. It was ugly. It was muddy. It was perfect "Pack" football.
Then you look at the 2023 game. Sam Hartman, who had spent years at Wake Forest getting hit by NC State defenders, was suddenly wearing the gold helmet. There was a massive weather delay—classic for this matchup—and then Audric Estime just decided to run for 80 yards on the first play back. That 45-24 Irish win felt like a turning point for Marcus Freeman. It proved he could take a punch, wait out a storm, and then pull away late.
Why the 2025 Matchup Flipped the Script
Most people expected the October 11, 2025 game to be the year NC State finally broke through in South Bend. They had CJ Bailey under center, a kid with enough arm talent to make any defensive coordinator sweat.
But Notre Dame’s defense is a different animal at home.
Boubacar Traore and Jalen Stroman spent most of the afternoon in the NC State backfield. The Irish held the Wolfpack to just 7 points—a lone strike to Terrell Anderson. It was a clinic in "bend but don't break." Notre Dame moved the ball at will with CJ Carr finding Will Pauling for 132 yards, but they kept stalling in the red zone.
- First drive: Touchdown.
- Second drive: Turnover on downs.
- Third drive: Interception.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Irish depth just wore the Wolfpack down. The 36-7 final score was more about NC State's exhausted defense than it was about some massive talent gap.
The Quarterback Evolution
The series used to be about Philip Rivers vs. Carlyle Holiday back in the 2003 Gator Bowl. Rivers absolutely carved them up. Now? It’s about mobile, high-IQ players who can handle the pressure of a national broadcast.
Dave Doeren has built a program on being the "blue-collar" alternative to the ACC’s elite. He wants to hit you. He wants to make the game miserable. Against Notre Dame, that works... until it doesn't. The Irish have shifted under Freeman to match that physicality, which is why the last three games (2017, 2023, 2025) have all gone to the Fighting Irish.
Breaking Down the All-Time Series Record
You'd think Notre Dame would lead this by a mile. They don't. After the 2025 win, the Irish finally took a 3-2 lead in the series.
- 2003 Gator Bowl: NC State 28, Notre Dame 6. (The Philip Rivers show).
- 2016 Raleigh: NC State 10, Notre Dame 3. (The Hurricane game).
- 2017 South Bend: Notre Dame 35, NC State 14. (Josh Adams ran for 200+ yards).
- 2023 Raleigh: Notre Dame 45, NC State 24. (The Sam Hartman revenge tour).
- 2025 South Bend: Notre Dame 36, NC State 7. (The CJ Carr era begins).
Notice a pattern?
Home field is everything. NC State has never won in South Bend. Notre Dame has struggled mightily in Raleigh. If you're betting on this game in the future, look at the GPS coordinates first.
What This Means for the ACC-Notre Dame Deal
Notre Dame’s "sorta-member" status in the ACC is what makes this game possible. Because the Irish play five ACC games a year, the Wolfpack get them on the schedule way more often than they used to.
It's good for the fans. It's great for recruiting.
When NC State goes into a recruit's living room in Charlotte or Atlanta, they can say, "You're going to play on NBC against the Irish." That carries weight. For Notre Dame, these games are dangerous. If they lose to a "tough but unranked" NC State team, their playoff hopes die. If they win, people just say, "Well, they were supposed to win." It's a high-risk, medium-reward game for the Irish every single time.
Key Takeaways for Future Matchups
If you're heading to the next game or just watching from your couch, keep an eye on these specific factors:
- The "Weather" Factor: I'm barely joking. Check the radar. If it’s raining, bet on the under and expect NC State to keep it close.
- Red Zone Efficiency: As we saw in 2025, Notre Dame can outgain teams by 300 yards and still only be up by a touchdown at halftime because they settle for field goals.
- Defensive Line Depth: NC State usually has a great starting eleven, but they historically gas out in the fourth quarter against the Irish offensive line.
- Quarterback Maturity: This isn't a game for a freshman to find himself. The crowd noise in South Bend or the "Wolf-Howl" in Raleigh is too much for a shaky signal-caller.
The next time these two meet, don't just look at the rankings. Look at how many senior offensive linemen are on the field. That’s where NC State vs Notre Dame football is won or lost.
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To stay ahead of the curve, track the recruiting classes for both programs specifically in the trenches. The Irish have been stacking four-star tackles like cordwood, and until NC State can match that 60-minute depth, the scoreboards will likely keep leaning toward South Bend. Watch the injury reports two weeks out; both these teams play physical schedules, and a missing middle linebacker is the difference between a 10-point game and a blowout.