Two bitter rivals separated by just about 100 miles will clash on Thursday night.

One of the longest-standing rivalries in sports, NC State and Wake Forest will meet on the gridiron for the 117th straight season on Thursday, with both ACC programs looking to get to 3-0 on the season.

Despite playing on the road, NC State is a 7.5-point favorite, and the total is sitting at 53.5 points.

A lot of the optimism around NC State coming into 2025 had to do with the potential of quarterback CJ Bailey after a terrific freshman campaign.

The early returns on that belief in Bailey have been promising.

You could pick apart the Wolfpack’s performances in their first two wins over East Carolina and Virginia, but that was more on a messy defense, rather than the offense.

In fact, the Wolfpack likely would be 1-1 at best if it weren’t for Bailey.

Bailey has completed 70 percent of his passes for 518 yards and two touchdowns through two games, and he’s tacked on three more rushing scores.

Although Bailey is the star of the show, he’s got a great supporting cast in Raleigh, headlined by running back Hollywood Smothers.

Smothers, who started his career at Oklahoma, has been a revelation for the Wolfpack, averaging 6.2 yards per carry over the past two seasons for NC State.

With Smothers and Bailey, the Wolfpack can keep defenses honest. If you load up to stop the run, Bailey has proved to be an efficient passer. If you try to contain the passing game, NC State is happy to chew you up on the ground.

Dave Doeren’s NC State teams are usually known for their biting defense, but this year it could be the offense that drives the bus thanks to the two stars in the backfield.

And while there have been some choppy moments for the Wolfpack as a whole through the first two games, the Demon Deacons have looked far less convincing.

Wake Forest took care of FCS Western Carolina in Week 2, but its season opener against Kennesaw State, one of the worst teams in FBS, was nearly a disaster.

The Demon Deacons were held to just 10 points by the Owls, and if it wasn’t for a missed PAT, the game would have been decided in overtime.

Quarterback Robby Ashford essentially won that game on his own for Wake Forest, but he’ll need a lot more help against an NC State defense that should improve after a couple of pedestrian performances against Virginia and East Carolina out of the gates.

This Wake Forest offense is tailor-made for the Wolfpack and new defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot to get things right. Thus far, the Deacons have shown that if you contain Ashford, they won’t be much of a threat elsewhere.

The Wolfpack’s defense should have this one under control, allowing Bailey and the offense to get the separation we need to cover this number on the road.

And you may not want to stop there.

Three weeks ago, it felt like the ACC was a foregone conclusion. Clemson was the clear favorite, with Miami, Louisville and SMU the likeliest teams to meet the Tigers in the title game.

Not so fast.

Clemson’s struggles out of the gates have opened things up in the ACC, and if the Wolfpack can sort their defense out, they profile as a worthwhile sleeper in what could be a season-long royal rumble between a half-dozen teams.

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.