Things to watch this week in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
N.C. State at No. 21 Clemson, Saturday, noon ET (ABC)
The Tigers regrouped from the season-opening blowout loss to Georgia with a romp against Appalachian State, then had an open week before hosting the Wolfpack. Clemson (1-1) was picked to finish second in the ACC race and N.C. State (2-1) was picked fourth, making this a key early matchup in the league title chase in the ACC opener for both teams.
N.C. State hasn’t won at Clemson since 2002 with Philip Rivers at quarterback, but it has won two of the past three meetings. The Wolfpack quarterback situation is in flux, with freshman CJ Bailey set to start as Grayson McCall recovers from an unspecified injury.
The undercard
Georgia Tech at No. 19 Louisville, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
The Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-1 ACC) started the season with a takedown of then-No. 10 and preseason ACC favorite Florida State in Ireland, which helped Georgia Tech crack the AP Top 25 for a week before falling at Syracuse.
The Cardinals (2-0, 0-0), who reached last year’s ACC title game, have had a pair of lopsided wins against Austin Peay and Jacksonville State.
Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals were picked to finish fifth in the league, while Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets were picked to finish ninth.
Impact players
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina. The preseason Associated Press All-American is No. 6 nationally in average rushing (138.7 yards per game) and fourth in rushing yards (416). His 210-yard effort last week against North Carolina Central is the No. 4 output by a Bowl Subdivision player all season. UNC hosts James Madison on Saturday.
Teddye Buchanan, California. The transfer linebacker from UC Davis has made a quick impact with the Bears, racking up 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks through the first three games. Buchanan is one of 24 players in the Bowl Subdivision ranks averaging at least 10 tackles (10.3) entering this weekend’s trip to Florida State.
Inside the numbers
No. 8 Miami, Louisville and Syracuse give the ACC three teams in the top 15 in total offense nationally. The Hurricanes are third (609.3), the Cardinals are fourth (590.5) and the Orange are 15th (497.5). … The Cardinals are third nationally in scoring offense (55.5 points per game) and the Hurricanes are fifth (53.0). … Cal is tied for second nationally in turnover margin (plus-2.67). … Syracuse’s Kyle McCord is second nationally in average passing (367.5) while Miami’s Cam Ward is third (345.0). … FSU’s Alex Mastromanno leads the country in punting (49.8 yards per kick) while Virginia’s Daniel Sparks is third (47.6). … North Carolina is going for a second straight 4-0 start. Before that, UNC’s last 4-0 start came in 1997.
League debuts
Two of the league’s three new schools play their first ACC games this weekend.
Stanford’s league debut comes Friday night at Syracuse, while Cal’s trip to FSU on Saturday marks the Bears’ second cross-country trip in three weeks — the first being a Sept. 7 win at Auburn.
SMU makes its ACC debut next week, hosting Florida State.
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