Where they stand

The above picture is of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, site of this year's ACC title game.

It's way too early to start envisioning orange filling up the place on Dec. 4, but it's not too early to start looking at what needs to happen for Clemson to get there.

First of all, of course, the Tigers need to keep winning. One more conference loss gives Clemson three ACC defeats and renders division hopes all but toast with Florida State already 4-0 in the conference.

But a coming seven-day stretch -- this Saturday to the next Saturday -- is going to tell us a lot.

First, Clemson plays host to Georgia Tech at Death Valley.

Five days later, Florida State visits N.C. State for a Thursday-night showdown.

Two days later, Clemson visits Boston College.

Let's just say the Tigers find a way -- finally -- to vanquish Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets.

Then let's say the Wolfies knock off the Seminoles.

Then let's say Clemson takes care of business in New England.

The Tigers, after all that ugliness in losses to Miami and North Carolina, are 5-3 and 3-2 in the ACC with loads of momentum and confidence.

The next two weeks would be huge: N.C. State at home, then at Florida State.

Here's a look at the remaining ACC schedules for the Seminoles and Wolfpack:

FLORIDA STATE
at N.C. State
North Carolina
Clemson
at Maryland

N.C. STATE
Florida State
at Clemson
Wake Forest
at North Carolina
at Maryland

If you're Clemson, you're pulling for N.C. State to knock off Florida State because the Wolfies already have an ACC loss.

One interesting part of this is that all three teams close by going on the road as a likely heavy favorite:

Clemson at Wake Forest on Nov. 20

Florida State at Maryland on Nov. 20

N.C. State at Maryland on Nov. 27

Ralph Friedgen does not have a good team, and that was illustrated Saturday at Death Valley. But the big guy could end up having a major influence on how this division shakes out.

I said earlier in the season that the division could be decided by who avoids the "What The Heck" game (or whatever you prefer to call it). Florida State came perilously close to falling at home to Boston College but managed to survive.

Not all that surprised that the Noles were that shaky after looking so good a week earlier in rolling Miami.

Nor was N.C. State's loss at East Carolina a huge shocker.

Both teams get an open date to prepare for the big game in Raleigh, by the way.

Boy, wonder if Boston College is regretting letting Dominique Davis transfer. Davis completed his first 14 passes against N.C. State on Saturday.

Brett Friedlander of the Wilmington Star-News says the Wolfpack are still learning how to win.

Love Russell Wilson, but the kid just makes too many bad decisions. He did it against Virginia Tech, and he did it again by throwing three picks against the Pirates.

Wilson, who passed for 322 yards but threw three interceptions, helped N.C. State close to within 24-21 by halftime.

But the Wolfpack (5-2) and its ACC-leading offense failed to score on the first three possessions of the second half. East Carolina's defense, which had been giving up 42 points per game, kept Wilson off balance by mixing zone and man-to-man coverages.

"We thought we had to twist his mind up a little bit," said East Carolina linebacker Dustin Lineback. "That's what we did."

Did you catch that? East Carolina has a linebacker named Dustin Lineback. Wow.

Three notable items from North Carolina's win at Virginia:

1) Tar Heels won in Charlottesville for the first time in almost 30 years.

2) Former Clemson recruit Dwight Jones had a huge day.

3) Virginia rushed for 151 yards, 60 more than Clemson did a week earlier in Chapel Hill.

Here's a story on Jones.

“It feels good. I’ve been working for a very, very long time,” Jones said.

“To finally get that opportunity to go out there and showcase my talents to the coaches and to my team is a great feeling.”

Jeff Schultz wonders if the BCS party is over for the SEC.

Serious question: Which division is better, the SEC East or the ACC Atlantic?

Here's an update on Georgia Tech, with an earth-shattering item:

Joshua Nesbitt can throw. You’ve read that before, but Nesbitt has made just one forehead-slapping throw in the past three weeks. He’s been mostly on the mark with the rest of his passes. He could have easily had more than 200 yards against Middle Tennessee State had his receivers and the refs been paying better attention. That bodes well for the next three-game stretch in which Tech will face the biggest and fastest defenses it will play in the ACC this season. Johnson said he was pleased with Nesbitt’s passes after he reviewed the film.

Isn't it just slightly notable that Nesbitt's supposed passing renaissance has come against Wake Forest, Virginia and Middle Tennessee? Just saying...

Friedgen was irked after watching his team lose its 10th consecutive road game.

"I think sometimes our guys think we’re on an amusement trip or something," Friedgen said. "We’re on a business trip to win football games."

Speaking of amusement parks, Gene Sapakoff notes the availability of Krispy Kreme donut bacon cheeseburgers at the state fair.

Only in America, folks.


LW