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FACTS & STATS: Site: Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500) -- Raleigh, North Carolina. Television: ESPN. Home Record: S. Carolina 0-0, NC State 0-0. Away Record: S. Carolina 0-0, NC State 0-0. Neutral Record: S. Carolina 0-0, NC State 0-0. Conference Record: S. Carolina 0-0, NC State 0-0. Series Record: Series is tied, 26-26-4.

GAME NOTES: Non-conference rivals collide in Raleigh to open the 2009 college football season, as the North Carolina State Wolfpack play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have won their last nine season openers.

These two teams met in the 2008 opener as well, and the Gamecocks crushed the Wolfpack by a 34-0 final. After beating NC State last season, South Carolina promptly lost its next two games en route to a 7-5 regular season. The Gamecocks earned a bid to the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day to face Iowa, and the result was an ugly 31-10 loss. There isn't a great deal of returning talent, and despite the fact that Steve Spurrier is entering his fifth season as the leader of South Carolina, the program remains mediocre by SEC standards.

Year two of the Tom O'Brien era got off to a sluggish start for NC State, as the team won just two of its first eight games in 2008. Fortunately, the Wolfpack came together down the stretch, winning four straight to close out the regular season and earn a bowl bid, the team's first since 2005. With many key contributors back in place, NC State could prove to be a tough out in parity-rich ACC.

The Gamecocks tied the all-time series with the Wolfpack, 26-26-4, on the strength of the blowout victory in last season's meeting.

South Carolina has had the worst rushing attack in the SEC the last two seasons, and the team scored a grand total of 30 points in the final three games of the '08 campaign. Clearly, the burden of generating points falls largely on the shoulders of quarterback Stephen Garcia, who is the obvious choice under center. Last season, the unproven signal-caller completed 53 percent of his passes for 832 yards and six touchdowns with eight interceptions, contributing to the fact that USC quarterbacks threw more interceptions (27) than any other team in the nation. In addition to his duties as a passer, Garcia has the athleticism to make things happen with his legs. But considering that the team rushed for only 94.1 yards per game in 2009, he clearly needs some help from the guys that are supposed to carry the football. We are speaking, of course, about the running backs, and there are no returning backs with more than 200 career rushing yards. Standout receiver Kenny McKinley is gone. So too is tight end Jared Cook. Moe Brown has 633 receiving yards to his credit, and he will get some help from ultra-talented sophomore Jason Barnes. Three starters are back along an offensive line that struggled in 2008.

Few expected the kind of results that NC State would get at the quarterback position in 2008, but freshman Russell Wilson burst on the scene, en route to becoming the first freshman ever to earn First Team All-ACC honors at the quarterback position. Wilson led the conference in pass efficiency (133.93) as well as total offense (213.0 ypg). He threw for 1,955 yards and racked up 17 TD passes against just one interception, and now enters this new season having thrown 249 consecutive passes without an interception. His top two receivers are back in the form of junior wideouts Owen Spencer (31 receptions, 691 yards, five TDs) and Jarvis Williams (26 receptions, 432 yards, four TDs). Spencer showed big play potential in 2008, as he led the ACC in yards per catch at 22.3. Senior Toney Baker returns to the starting lineup at the tailback position, and it remains to be seen how he responds after missing the last two seasons with knee injuries.

Last year's NC State defense struggled at times and gave up a ton of yards, but with seven starters returning to the fold, things are looking up on this side of the football. Up front, three starters return in the form of ends Willie Young and Shea McKeen and tackle Alan-Michael Cash. The 6-4, 250-pound Young is the team's top pass rushing threat, coming off a 2008 campaign in which he led the way with 6.5 sacks, en route to all-conference honorable mention. The linebacking corps was supposed to be a strength, and while senior Ray Michel is expected to be a standout, junior Nate Irving will miss the season because of injuries suffered in a car accident. Michel led the team in tackles last season with 85 total stops. Half of last year's secondary returns in the form of cover corner DeAndre Morgan (60 tackles, team-high 10 PBUs, two INTs) and safety Justin Byers (44 tackles, two INTs).

Not only will this season's game between the Gamecocks and Wolfpack be much closer, but expect NC State to come out on top this time. Wilson is a special player who will only get better with experience.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: NC State 27, South Carolina 20