ATLANTA - Some college football streaks can be easily explained.

One team is simply better than the other, year in and year out. Temple will always lose to Miami, for example, or Duke to Florida State.

But when two seemingly equal teams meet annually and one dominates the series, that's a statistical anomaly.

Georgia Tech faces a North Carolina State team it has bullied for the past decade at 7:45 p.m. tonight in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech has won the previous four meetings, and nine of the past 10. The Wolfpack hasn't won in Atlanta since 1988.

The streak defies logic. Georgia Tech's 16-16 Atlantic Coast Conference record over the previous four seasons matches the Wolfpack's. N.C. State's overall record during the span is four games better.

The two teams are equal, except when they're on the field together.

Football coaches and players typically don't put much credence in statistics, though, except for maybe turnover margin. That's true at Georgia Tech this week.

"We're 0-0 against them this year," head coach Chan Gailey said when asked about his team's recent dominance in the series. "I don't think it's a situation where you have a team's number or they have your number."

N.C. State coach Chuck Amato, said numbers do tell the recent history in the series.

His team has failed to score more than 21 points against Georgia Tech in any of the past four meetings and squandered several scoring chances.

A year ago, kicker John Deraney missed three field goals and quarterback Jay Davis threw three interceptions in a 24-14 loss. N.C. State's offense scored just seven points, the other touchdown coming on an interception return.

In 2003, with Phillip Rivers quarterbacking an offense averaging 43.4 points a game, N.C. State lost 29-21.

Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 589-8424 or adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.