Pack finishes 25th, sets up for a strong 2011

N.C. State finished 25th in the final AP poll, which came on Tuesday morning. That finish completes what was a turnaround year for the Wolfpack, which finished 9-4 and won its bowl game.

Finishing in the rankings will help for next year. Voters tend to remember who got votes and who did not, and if Russell Wilson returns, the Pack could be formidable. State plays South Alabama, Central Michigan and Liberty at home, with a road game at Cincinnati. The Pack should win three, and possibly four, of those.

The ACC, after a poor year overall, still finished the 2010 season with four teams in the rankings. The highest was just No. 15 Virginia Tech (which finished 11-3),  followed by No. 17 Florida State (10-4) and No. 23 Maryland (9-4).

By the way, isn't it ridiculous to see Oregon lose on the last play of the game in the national title game and fall to third in the rankings? Does anyone really think No. 2 TCU, which played a weak schedule and squeezed by Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, would beat Oregon?

Of course not. Oregon clearly is the second-best team in the country.