By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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The Wolfpack will almost certainly be overlooked by the vast majority of media members as we get into the heart of the offseason, but the circumstances in Raleigh are set up perfectly for a shockingly positive 2014 campaign.

Optimism is a widespread and defining characteristic of spring practice, but that certainly does not mean that every team across the country has legitimate reason for their lofty expectations. Although the nature of the sport itself lends to unpredictability, situation and circumstance are perhaps the primary factors in determining legitimate preseason expectations.

After going winless in ACC play in head coach Dave Doerens first season in Raleigh, the NC State Wolfpack are undoubtedly justified in believing that things will get better in 2014. Diving a little deeper into NC States situation and circumstances, however, reveals that the Wolfpack very well may be in store for a surprisingly successful campaign this fall.

Now that safety Jarvis Byrd and offensive tackle Rob Crisp have been granted sixth years of eligibility by the NCAA, the Wolfpack are set to return more starters than any other team in the conference. Byrd started the first five games of 2013 at safety prior to suffering the third ACL injury of his collegiate career. Crisp, a former five-star prospect, was a significant contributor early in his career, but has been hindered by a multitude of injuries over the past two seasons. Their respective returns provide much-needed stability and leadership on both sides of the football.

Even with an overwhelming amount of talent returning in 2014, NC States most important player this fall will be one who didnt take a single snap last season.

Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett was forced to sit out all of last season due to NCAA transfer guidelines, but is now the unquestioned starter as the Wolfpack continue spring drills. Brissett completed 23-of-35 passing attempts (65.7%) as a sophomore for the Gators, leading the team to victories over Louisiana-Lafayette and Jacksonville State.

With the decisions of Manny Sticker and Pete Thomas to transfer out of NC State for the remaining years of eligibility, the starting job for which he was already the overwhelming frontrunner was practically handed to Brissett on a silver platter.

Brissett is a former Elite 11 quarterback who was courted by virtually every perennial power coming out of high school. In addition to possessing phenomenal arm talents at six-foot-four, he also has the ability to make plays with his legs, which is certainly preferred in offensive coordinator Matt Canadas flexible scheme.

The hope is improved stability and talent under center will help the Wolfpack put six points on the board with greater consistency this fall.

Unlike Virginia, the only other ACC team to finish winless last season, NC State actually did not finish in the bottom four in the league in either total offense or total defense. In fact, the Wolfpack amazingly finished in the top half of the league in total offense, averaging 403.5 yards per contest.

The biggest issue for NC State last fall was its inability to find success in the red zone, a problem which unfortunately surfaced on both sides of the football. The Wolfpack successfully produced touchdowns on just 43.6 percent of their red zone possessions on offense, a statistic which ranked the team 123rd out of 125 FBS programs. The numbers were even worse on defense, as the Wolfpack finished ranked 124th in red zone defense, allowing teams to score on 38 of 40 trips inside the 20-yard line (95%).

Already having proven that the team can have, at the very least, have marginal success between the twenties, the next steps for the program will be finding a way to convert touchdowns on offense and generating additional stops inside the red zone on defense.

Playing in a division which includes Florida State, Clemson and Louisville, it is still too early to consider the Wolfpack as legitimate contenders to reach Charlotte in December.

It is not ridiculous, however, to expect to see significant improvement in Doerens second season at the school, including a potential monumental upset of the leagues perennial powers.

The Wolfpack will almost certainly be overlooked by the vast majority of media members as we get into the heart of the offseason, but the circumstances in Raleigh are set up perfectly for a shockingly positive 2014 campaign.