This is the second year in a row the Wolfpack have had a bye at the exact midpoint of their season. In 2007, it used the time off to good effect, making some personnel changes and coming back from a 1-5 start to nearly make a bowl game. The team was in contention for the postseason right up until the regular-season finale, when it dropped a winner-take-all game against Maryland.

Things are better in 2008 -- barely. The Wolfpack are a robust 2-4, and 0-2 in the ACC. It still looks like a long shot to make the postseason.

But at least there also appears to be a light ahead of the tunnel in Raleigh. State has a nice win over East Carolina on its resume, and has limited both the turnovers and mental mistakes.

That is particularly true when the all-or-nothing numbers of QB Harrison Beck are factored out. Russell Wilson has just one interception this season in his 90 passing attempts, and he has shown poise under fire as a redshirt freshman.

It looks like a real football team out there -- albeit one with a lot of key parts on the sideline and a big talent and experience gap compared to the rest of the league. There are a lot of younger players and first-year starters learning quickly and painfully how fast the college game is and how any mistake can prove costly.

Still, there won't be a lot of lineup changes this week except for those where injured players are finally healthy. This season isn't about cleaning house and installing a new attitude, as last year was.

But it was about rest and rededication, working on the fundamentals in the hopes of another second-half surge in 2008. Thursday night against Florida State will be the first indication of whether the Wolfpack are once again prepared for a strong finish.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.