NC State makes it official: Philip Rivers returns to Raleigh as Wolfpack head coach

NC State has completed its hire of Philip Rivers as head football coach. The Wolfpack's former star quarterback is coming back to Raleigh to run the program. ESPN reported earlier this week that the agreement was in place and would be finalized once the university's board of trustees met Friday. That vote ends a search that people around the program had long expected to land on him.

CBS Sports reported that for weeks, almost every industry conversation about the opening began and ended with Rivers, although ESPN reported that Russell Wilson also interviewed. CBS described the hire mainly as a way to energize donors and boosters. It should bring attention to the program both locally and nationally, and Rivers' son Gunner is committed to play quarterback for his father.

The risk is his résumé. Apart from interviewing for the Buffalo Bills job last year after briefly returning to play quarterback for the Colts, Rivers has coached only at the high school level. CBS also noted that former NFL stars who took college jobs with little coaching experience have mixed results. Trent Dilfer went 9-21 and was fired at UAB. Deion Sanders' Colorado team is 3-6 this fall. Eddie George's Bowling Green team is 2-7. Rivers takes over a program that has been inconsistent: NC State is 4-5 and has lost three of its last four games.

What it means for Syracuse

The hire comes ahead of Saturday's home game against Syracuse on ACC Network, and the Wolfpack are in a difficult spot. Their last game was the worst of the season, a 41-3 home loss to Duke. Before that, they beat Cal 31-10, lost 31-28 at Stanford and lost 38-14 at home to Wake Forest. With three games left, NC State needs two more wins to reach six.

The season numbers show how uneven the team has been. NC State has outscored opponents 260-248, but 73 of those points came in a shutout of Richmond. Its two wins over FBS teams with winning margins of more than a touchdown came against App State and Cal, and the offense managed just 8 points at Virginia and 3 against Duke.

The board for Syracuse at NC State has Syracuse as a road favorite across 12 venues. Novig has the Orange at -133 on the moneyline and NC State at +130. On the spread, Novig lists Syracuse -2.5 at -115 and NC State +2.5 at +111. The best price for the Wolfpack anywhere is Pinnacle's +3 at -110, the only venue with the line at a field goal. For Syracuse, the best price is BetRivers' -2 at -122. Novig puts the total at 54.5, with the over at +102 and the under at -106. Pinnacle has the lowest total at 53, with the over at -117. Prices across the venues are fairly close, with sportsbook hold ranging from 3.0% to 6.2% on the moneyline and up to 7.0% on the total.

Those numbers suggest the market sees the coaching news as a long-term change rather than a factor for Saturday. Whether the announcement gives the team a lift will show up against Syracuse.