3 games to watch in the ACC: Florida State on potential upset alert

Some people like to say this is when the season really begins. In a conference where the league title doesn’t necessarily get you a playoff spot, this may not be the case, but for the first time this year, all ACC teams in play this week will be playing against another ACC team. Every win and loss from here on out can be the difference in whether a team makes it to the ACC Championship.

Here are the three games you should be watching this week as it all unfolds:

Louisville at No. 11 Florida State
Saturday, Oct. 17, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Florida State and Louisville have had two very different starts to their seasons. You already know about the Seminoles; undefeated at 5-0 with explosive playmakers in Dalvin Cook and Everett Golson. They're once again one of the early favorites to win the ACC, which would be their fifth straight conference title.

Louisville, on the other hand, hasn’t had the same fortune. After coming into the season ranked in some polls and looking to be a dark horse pick in the conference, the Cardinals lost their first three games. Since then, Louisville has found a quarterback it can stick with in true freshman Lamar Jackson and hasn’t stopped winning since. Jackson leads the Cardinals in both rushing and passing yards, and two weeks ago he was the only person to attempt a pass for Louisville against NC State (the first time that’s happened all season).

The key for both teams will be stopping the superstars. Cook and his 792 rushing yards has been doing his best to keep up with Leonard Fournette in the Heisman race, and Golson’s stat line has only been getting better as he's gotten more accustomed to the Seminoles’ offense. Louisville’s run defense is allowing 146.8 yards per game (only 52nd in the country), but if the Cardinals can hold Cook (who is coming off a 222-yard game) and Golson to that many yards, they should be able to put themselves in a position to win. On the other side of the ball, it’s all about the Cardinals’ new man under center. When Jackson plays well Louisville wins, and when he doesn’t play well (or doesn’t play at all) the Cardinals lose.

Louisville has had extra time to plan for this one with a bye last week, and if it can pull off the upset on the road, the Atlantic division suddenly becomes a three team race.

Virginia Tech at Miami
Saturday, Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

There are teams in more dire need than Virginia Tech and Miami, but when it comes to teams at .500 or better, you’d be hard-pressed to find a pair more desperate for a W. Virginia Tech has been the Louisville of the ACC’s Coastal division. Once an underdog pick to win the Coastal, the Hokies have started out only 3-3 (including a loss to East Carolina). Also like Louisville, however, Virginia Tech could be solving its quarterback situation soon. Michael Brewer, who broke his collarbone in the team’s first game of the year against Ohio State, has been practicing with the Hokies for over a week but still hasn’t been cleared to play. There’s still no definitive answer as to whether Brewer will be able to suit up Saturday, but the fact his return is on the horizon is good news for Virginia Tech fans.

For Miami, a season that started on a cautiously optimistic note has gotten a reality check over the past two weeks. The Hurricanes have lost two straight after going into a bye week 3-0, but led Florida State in the fourth quarter last week. Brad Kaaya hasn’t made much noise in the national headlines but still leads the ACC in passing yards, throwing for 405 against the Seminoles. The real problem for Miami will be getting the running game going. It killed Al Golden's squad against FSU, where the Hurricanes ran for 20 yards on 19 attempts.

The Hokies and Hurricanes have split their last four meetings, so Saturday’s game is sure to be a good one.

Wake Forest at North Carolina
Saturday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

A few weeks ago everyone would have picked this one as an easy win for the Tar Heels. Wake Forest had lost miserably to Syracuse and barely beaten Army, while the high-powered offense of North Carolina was surging through its nonconference schedule. The Tar Heels may still be the favorite to win the Coastal division right now, but Wake Forest has stepped up its game and has shown it can give North Carolina a run for its money.

The Demon Deacons lost by only a possession to both Florida State and Indiana (who is turning out to be a much better team than we thought at the time), and the defense has been excellent. Wake Forest is allowing only 17 points and 296 yards of offense per game, but it will face its biggest test Saturday in the Tar Heels’ high-powered offense, which is scoring 38.6 points per game and gaining 471 yards. Whoever wins the battle between those two strengths will come out of this week with a win.