Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 3 Miami (4-0, 0-0 ACC) at No. 18 Florida State (3-1, 0-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
The Hurricanes beat Notre Dame in the opener, and later rolled past South Florida and Florida. Now comes a third straight Sunshine State matchup. FSU opened with an expectations-altering win against Alabama and hit No. 8 in last week’s poll, but fell in double overtime at now-ranked Virginia last week.
Miami won last year’s meeting in a series that typically features multiyear streaks. FSU had won three straight before last year, while Miami won four in a row before that to end FSU’s seven-game run that reached back to 2010.
The undercard
— No. 24 Virginia (4-1, 2-0) at Louisville (4-0, 1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers have gone from being picked to finish 14th in the league to cracking the AP Top 25 for the first time since spending six weeks there in 2019. Their lone loss, at N.C. State, was a nonconference game outside the ACC scheduling model. Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals were picked to finish fifth in the league and are 4-0 for the second time in three seasons.
— Clemson (1-3, 0-2) at North Carolina (2-2, 0-0), Saturday, noon (ESPN)
This game stood out in preseason for the coaching matchup between the Tigers’ Dabo Swinney and the Tar Heels’ Bill Belichick. That curiosity is still there, but both teams are struggling. The preseason league favorite Tigers are sitting alongside Wake Forest and Boston College at the bottom of the ACC standings, while UNC has two lopsided losses against Big 12 teams.
Impact players
— Virginia Tech running back Terion Stewart. The Bowling Green transfer had been hobbled in preseason but broke out with 15 carries for 174 yards in last weekend’s surprise win at N.C. State. The Hokies (2-3, 1-0) host Wake Forest (2-2, 0-2) on Saturday with two straight wins since firing coach Brent Pry.
— Duke receiver Cooper Barkate. The Harvard graduate transfer has been a steady target for quarterback Darian Mensah and now he’s finding the end zone. Barkate had a TD grab against N.C. State on Sept. 20 then had two more in last weekend’s romp at Syracuse. The Blue Devils (3-2, 2-0) visit California (4-1, 1-0) on Saturday.
Inside the numbers
The league has four ranked teams in the AP Top 25 poll, with No. 17 Georgia Tech joining Miami, FSU and Virginia. … The Hurricanes (13th, 244.5 yards allowed) and Cardinals (18th, 268.3) are the only league teams in the top 20 nationally in total defense. Miami is ninth in scoring defense (11.5 points allowed per game). … No ACC team is in the top 25 nationally in turnover margin, though Syracuse, BC, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh all rank 107th or worse. … Georgia Tech and Stanford have open dates this week.
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By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
