Boston College (7-4, 4-3 ACC)
Next game: at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, FSSO
Huddle up: RB Andre Williams has climbed into the Heisman Trophy race. He has 2,073 yards, becoming the first player since 2008 — the 16th overall — to break the 2,000-yard barrier. Williams has accounted for 51 percent of the Eagles' yards on offense. … Boston College could land in several bowls, including the Military Bowl, the Advocare V100 Bowl, the Music City Bowl and Sun Bowl, according to the Boston Herald. … K Nate Freese is 17-for-17 in FG attempts.
Tweetable fact: Steve Addazio is one of 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Football Club's collegiate coach of the year.
Clemson (10-1, 7-1)
Next game: at South Carolina, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2
Huddle up: Clemson has lost four consecutive to South Carolina, which also has a 17-game home winning streak. The Gamecocks have never won five consecutive against Clemson. … WR Sammy Watkins is one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award. … U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Daniel Rodriguez, 25, caught his first career TD pass in the win over The Citadel. … S Travis Blanks will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Tweetable fact: This will be the first meeting between Clemson and South Carolina with both teams ranked in the top 10.
Duke (9-2, 5-2)
Next game: at North Carolina, noon Saturday, ESPN2
Huddle up: The Blue Devils are in the BCS standings, at No. 24, for the first time in school history. … Duke will have at least two chances to win a school-record 10th game. The Blue Devils have never won more than nine, and it took 72 years for them to do it again. LB Kelby Brown: "We came here to build this program up. I fully believe that's exactly what we're doing." … CB Ross Cockrell has 52 passes defended (40 breakups, 12 interceptions) to set a career school mark.
Tweetable fact: Duke will win the Coastal Division title with a win over North Carolina.
Florida State (11-0, 8-0)
Next game: at Florida, noon Saturday, ESPN
Huddle up: FSU has been favored by at least 20 points in eight of its 11 games. … Sixteen FSU players have intercepted at least one pass this season. … RB Devonta Freeman needs 192 yards rushing to become the fifth RB in school history to reach 1,000 yards in a season. He has three more games. … Large leads are the reason Jameis Winston has thrown seven passes total in the fourth quarter of the past five games.
Tweetable fact: Florida's offense has scored nine TDs in the past six games; FSU has scored seven TDs on defense and special teams in the same span.
Maryland (6-5, 2-5)
Next game: at N.C. State, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, WUPA
Huddle up: Maryland held Boston College and Virginia Tech to a combined 9-for-30 on third-down plays the past two games. … WR Amba Etta-Tawo (McEachern) caught a career-long 33-yard TD pass in the loss to BC. … QB C.J. Brown has rushed and passed for a TD in the same game six times this season. He has six 100-yard rushing games to lead all active ACC QBs. … DB Anthony Nixon returned a blocked PAT for a TD, the first time in program history.
Tweetable fact: The Terrapins have averaged 4.45 penalties per game, tied for 20th-fewest in the NCAA.
Miami (8-3, 4-3)
Next game: at Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m. Friday, ABC
Huddle up: CBs Corn Elder (meniscus) and Nate Dortch (lower extremity) are out for the season, and Ladarius Gunter will miss Friday's game at Pitt with a neck strain. Gunter was airlifted from Sun Life Stadium to the hospital after he was injured. Kacy Rodgers is moving from S to CB to provide depth. … The Hurricanes have scored first in 10 of its past 13 games and are 16-1 when leading at halftime under coach Al Golden. … WR Allen Hurns has 110 career catches, 10th all-time at Miami.
Tweetable fact: Miami has 17 interceptions this season, its most since 2003.
North Carolina (6-5, 4-3)
Next game: vs. Duke, noon Saturday, ESPN2
Huddle up: Ryan Switzer tied the ACC's single-season mark with his fourth punt return for a TD this season. Maryland's Steve Suter had four returns for scores in 2002. … UNC scored on five plays of more than 50 yards in the 80-20 win over Old Dominion on Saturday. The Tar Heels set the school record for points in a game. … QB Marquise Williams set the single-game school record for total offense with 469 yards. … RB T.J. Logan (137 yards) became the first Tar Heel with a 100-yard rushing performance this season.
Tweetable fact: UNC's five-game winning streak is its longest since 2001.
N.C. State (3-8, 0-7)
Next game: vs. Maryland, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, WUPA
Huddle up: Brandon Mitchell set career highs in completions (28), attempts (44), yards (312) and TD passes (four) in the loss to East Carolina. … The Wolfpack have lost seven consecutive games. … Starters have missed 41 games because of injuries this season. … Rashard Smith (Dublin) had seven catches for a career-high 104 yards last week. … Freshman Bryant Shirreffs (Jefferson) has rushed 34 times for 158 yards and a TD and is 4-for-5 for 17 yards and a TD.
Tweetable fact: N.C. State is trying to avoid its first winless season in the ACC since 1959.
Pittsburgh (6-5, 3-4)
Next game: vs. Miami, 3:30 p.m. Friday, ABC
Huddle up: DT Aaron Donald is finalist for the Nagurski Trophy, the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. He is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy. … LT Adam Bisnowaty (back) will miss the rest of the season, and TE Scott Orndoff (leg) and LB Ejuan Price will miss Friday's game. Juantez Hollins will start at LT. … Coach Paul Chryst hopes Miami will struggle in temperatures that are forecast to be between 20 and 31 degrees.
Tweetable fact: WR Tyler Boyd needs one catch to tie Larry Fitzgerald's freshman school record of 69 catches.
Syracuse (5-6, 3-4)
Next game: vs. Boston College, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, FSSO
Huddle up: Cameron Lynch (Brookwood) is the ACC LB of the week after he had 11 tackles, three for loss and two sacks in the loss to Pitt. … RB George Morris (Central Gwinnett) has 61 carries for 261 yards. … Syracuse has at least one sack in 14 consecutive games. … LB Marquis Spruill has a career-high 39 1/2 tackles for loss, third-most in school history. … Syracuse and BC first played in 1924, and the Orange are 10-3 against the Eagles in the Carrier Dome.
Tweetable fact: Syracuse needs to win to become bowl-eligible for the third time in four years.
Virginia (2-9, 0-7)
Next game: vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU
Huddle up: SS Anthony Harris has eight interceptions, tied for second for a season at Virginia. He has five in the past five games to lead the nation, but Harris will miss the first half of Saturday's game because he was ejected in the past one. … Kevin Parks has 926 yards rushing, the most for a Cavalier in a season since Alvin Pearman had 1,037 in 2004. … RB Taquan Mizzell scored his first two collegiate TDs. … David Watford will start at QB, but Greyson Lambert (Wayne County) will play.
Tweetable fact: WR Tim Smith needs three catches to reach 100 for his career.
Virginia Tech (7-4, 4-3)
Next game: at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU
Huddle up: Logan Thomas holds school records for total offense, passing yards, attempts, completions, TD passes and rushing TDs by a QB. Thomas, who has 10,064 yards of offense, will set another QB mark with his 39th consecutive start Saturday. … The Hokies have scored in 241 consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in the FCS. … The Hokies will win the Coastal Division if they defeat Virginia and North Carolina beats Duke on Saturday. … The Commonwealth Cup weighs 100 pounds.
Tweetable fact: Virginia Tech has won 13 of the past 14 games against Virginia, including nine consecutive.
Wake Forest (4-7, 2-6)
Next game: at Vanderbilt, 12:21 p.m. Saturday, WPCH
Huddle up: S Thomas Brown (Greenbrier) had his first career fumble recovery and TD on the same play, returning it 59 yards for the score in a loss to Duke. … NG Nikita Whitlock has at least one tackle for loss in 10 of 11 games. … LB Brandon Chubb (Hillgrove) led Wake Forest with eight tackles. He has 78 this season, second on the team. … Wake Forest has converted 9 of 11 fourth-down attempts (81.8 percent, the best in the FCS).
Tweetable fact: Wake Forest will not qualify for a bowl for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
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