David Pollack Names College Football Program That Could Be the ACC's Biggest Sleeper

The 2026 college football season is fast approaching, as we are just a little more than two months away.

While the offseason is still here, that hasn't stopped some of the most prominent analysts in the sport from making some bold predictions for the season. One of those comes from former "College GameDay" analyst David Pollack.

On his show, "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack," he discussed a team in the ACC that he has his eye on as a team that could break through and have a big year.

The would be the North Carolina State Wolfpack, who went 8-5 last season under head coach Dave Doeren.

He's been the head coach of the Wolfpack since the 2013 season, and he's had considerable success during his tenure. He has 10 winning seasons during his career, as well as four seasons with nine wins.

NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) with the football. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

That is significant because the program has only one double-digit win season in its history. That was in 2002 when NC State went 11-2. However, Pollack thinks that streak will end in 2026.

"NC State might be that team for me this year," Pollack said. "I got a feeling. James Argo is going to be all over that. But they've had one 10-win season in the history of their program. One. I think they've got a real chance to get their second. Like a real chance. We cannot even think about putting their QB on this list. He's a baller."

It's easy to see why Pollack likes the Wolfpack. They have one of the best underrated quarterbacks in college football, CJ Bailey. He threw for 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while completing 68.8% of his passes. He ran for 215 yards and six scores as well.

Having a quarterback of his caliber will boost any team's chances of being a big-time contender in their conference. Another benefit is playing in the ACC. The conference has been wide open the last five years, with no team winning back-to-back championships. In fact, there have been four different champions in those five seasons, with Clemson being the only team to win more than one.

That is why it's not a stretch to feel a team that won eight games last year could take a major leap next season and come away as the ACC champion. It also feels like NC State has been so close to breaking through and doing this before, so it could finally be their year to do it.

Whether they do that or not, only time will tell, but one thing is for certain: teams shouldn't be sleeping on the team in Raleigh.

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