SB Nation's Bill Connelly recently power-ranked all 128 FBS teams, and went a step farther by grouping them in tiers; "these teams are most likely to contend for the title;" "these teams can contend with a few breaks'" etc. Based on Bill's rankings and tiers, we can get a straightforward picture of how NC State's schedule sorts out.
Below, each team's ranking in Connelly's estimation, with spaces indicating a shift to a lower tier. NC State's ranking is No. 45.
17. Florida State
22. Louisville
24. Clemson
25. Virginia Tech
48. North Carolina
69.