How Does Big 12 Scheduling Decision Affect NC State?

The Big 12 has joined the ACC in adopting a "plus one" format for its 2020 football season. Does that leave the door open for NC State to potentially schedule a game against a Big 12 opponent?

NC State's pool of potential "plus one" football opponents got a little deeper and a lot more attractive on Monday, when the Big 12 joined the ACC in adopting a schedule format that includes one nonconference game.

Although its uncertain as to the direction athletic director Boo Corrigan plans to go when it comes to scheduling for the coronavirus-altered 2020 season, the Big 12's decision opens up a wide range of possibilities for the Wolfpack.

Two in particular stand out.

First, there's West Virginia. 

The Wolfpack and Mountaineers were supposed to play at Carter-Finley Stadium in 2018, but the game was wiped out by Hurricane Florence and never rescheduled. The teams played the return game in Morganton last year.

With both State and West Virginia now scrambling to fill an opening on their respective schedules, this would be the perfect opportunity to make up for the lost home date.

The two biggest stumbling blocks to such a rematch are the fact that the Mountaineers might not want to play their "plus one" on the road and the fact that they already had a game scheduled against ACC member Florida State.

 Another Big 12 option could be Texas Tech.

The Wolfpack and Red Raiders are scheduled to play in Raleigh in 2022. By moving that game up two years and playing it this fall, the teams could both fill out their current schedules while also creating an opening in the near future that the could give Wolfpack a chance to fit Mississippi State back in.

State's home date against Mississippi State was lost when the SEC decided play a conference only schedule this year.

Keep in mind that the ACC has mandated that nonconference games in 2020 must be played within the home state of the conference member.

The ACC has announced it plans to start the season during the week of Sept. 7-12, although an actual starting date has yet to be set.

Besides West Virginia and Texas Tech, the other Big 12 members Baylor (whose offensive coordinator is former North Carolina coach Larry Fedora), Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and TCU.