AROUND THE NATION

Florida State was sailing along at 5-0 and had risen to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25, its highest ranking in the Jimbo Fisher era, when the Seminoles arrived last season in Raleigh, N.C.

The game was just another on the schedule, nothing like the showdown the Seminoles face when they visit Clemson on Saturday. But when the Seminoles were upset 17-16 by an unranked N.C. State team, suddenly it became a defining game.

And a measuring stick for Fisher’s critics.

Florida State finished the 2012 season 12-2, winning its first ACC title since 2005 and its first BCS bowl game in 13 years. But Fisher’s success since replacing Bobby Bowden in 2010 became his curse.

Some program followers believed the season could have been better, pointing to second-half collapses against the Wolfpack and Florida, and uninspiring wins in the ACC title game over Georgia Tech and in the Orange Bowl over Northern Illinois.

And while the noise might have come from a vocal minority, the rumblings were there.

When Fisher was asked last week how he deals with unrealistic expectations, he said: “You don’t. You know you can’t control it.”

He then added: “Winning a BCS game and an ACC championship is not unsuccessful. We understand that, but we are not satisfied, either.”

Fisher, 48, has had a handful of defining moments since replacing Bowden, but one thing is certain: Most have been successful. He is 36-10 in his first head coaching job (including 3-0 in bowls), which is tied for the seventh-best record among BCS conference schools since he took over in 2010. Fisher’s .783 winning percentage is the highest in ACC history.

Now, Fisher prepares for the biggest regular-season game of his career. Some believe this will be a defining moment for Fisher. Others say win or lose, the program is headed in the same direction.

“This game doesn’t define Jimbo’s career as a coach,” former FSU star receiver Ron Sellers said. “You have to look at the body of a coach’s or team’s work.”

— Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post

SIX PACK

No. 16 Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (3-3, 1-2 Big 12), noon, Fox Sports 1: The Red Raiders escaped an upset bid from lowly Iowa State last week to stay undefeated and on track for a Big 12 title. The Mountaineers ambushed the previous unbeaten Big 12 opponent to visit Morgantown (Oklahoma State), but gave up 73 points in a loss to Baylor last week. There are strong ties between the head coaches: Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury played quarterback for the Red Raiders when West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen was an assistant there, and the two later worked together at Houston.

TCU (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) at No. 21 Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-1), noon, Fox: It seems the Cowboys have been exposed since their dominating 3-0 start against weak competition. After the deflating loss at West Virginia, Oklahoma State had to rally in the fourth quarter to beat conference bottom-feeder Kansas State 33-29 at home. TCU lost 20-17 at Oklahoma, and the Horned Frogs are good enough to win if Oklahoma State isn't sharp again.

No. 9 UCLA (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) at No. 13 Stanford (5-1, 3-1), 3:30 p.m., ABC: Stanford defeated UCLA in last season's Pac-12 Championship game and was favored to repeat as champions this season. But then the Cardinal stumbled at Utah last week, leaving an opening for the Bruins to take control of the league if they can end their five-game losing streak in the series. The Bruins are ranked in the top 10 for the first time since since 2005, which also is the last year they won at Stanford.

BYU (4-2) at Houston (5-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN News: There were 14 undefeated teams remaining in FBS entering Friday; Houston is the only one that isn't ranked. That's because the Cougars have played a weak schedule and earned narrow victories against the likes of Temple and Memphis. This is a chance for Houston to beat a respectable opponent with a national audience watching.

No. 20 Washington (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) at Arizona State (4-2, 2-1), 6 p.m., Pac-12 Network: The Huskies got a dose of reality with losses in consecutive weeks to conference heavyweights Stanford and UCLA. The Sun Devils can still get back in the national rankings and stay within striking distance of UCLA in the Pac-12 North.

No. 25 Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at Illinois (3-2, 0-1), 8 p.m., Big Ten Network: The Badgers came up short in their rally at Ohio State, but bounced back with a dominating victory over Northwestern. If they want to keep their Rose Bowl hopes alive, they can't afford a slip-up in Champaign.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: USC-NOTRE DAME RIVALRY

If Notre Dame beats USC on Saturday, the Fighting Irish will accomplish two feats for the first time since Bob Davie was coach.

Yup, it’s been that long since the Irish posted consecutive victories over the Trojans, and beat them at home.

Notre Dame (4-2) has won two of the past three in the series, including last year’s 22-13 win at the Coliseum that clinched a spot in the BCS Championship game. But the Irish lost a record eight consecutive to the Trojans (4-2) before the recent success, including five losses of 31 points.

The only close games during that stretch was a 34-31 loss in the “Bush Push” game of 2005 and a 34-27 loss in 2009 when Jimmy Clausen threw three incomplete passes into the end zone in the closing seconds.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said before last season’s game that it wasn’t a great rivalry because the Irish hadn’t won enough recently. He feels differently now.

“I think we’re past that,” he said. “We would hope that both programs are competing each and every year for BCS bowls and playoff opportunities, and I think that’s where both programs want to be. That they’re on equal footing, that you don’t have to wait three, four years to get a win.”

— Associated Press

SPOTLIGHT ON … KANSAS COACH CHARLIE WEIS

Rotating players on the depth chart hasn’t worked so well for Kansas this season, so now coach Charlie Weis is shaking up coaching responsibilities to jump-start his struggling team.

Weis announced Tuesday that he would change how the offensive staff operates. Quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus will be in charge of the passing game, tight ends coach Jeff Blasko will take over the running game and Weis will oversee the offense and help coach skill positions.

Weis also said he wants to receive input from the offensive coaches and let their ideas form the base for the game plan rather than formulating the majority of it himself.

The first chance to showcase all the changes comes Saturday against No. 18 Oklahoma.

“I felt that I had to back off a little bit or else we’re never going to get any better,” Weis said. “What happens a lot of time when you have a veteran coach that’s been running offenses for a long time, sometimes you hold in ideas because the head coach or offensive coordinator already has a bunch of them on his own.”

In other words, Weis acknowledged that he needs a little bit of help.

Already, the offensive coaches are taking to the change.

“I think at times I was reluctant to open my mouth,” Blasko said, “and now that I have the freedom to do so, I think it obviously helps.”

The new coaching roles are just the latest idea Weis had to try and energize his struggling offense, which ranks 115th in the FBS at 305 yards per game. He made 13 personnel changes to his starting offense in the past month, not including changes because of injuries.

— Associated Press

WORDS ABOUT … SEAN MANNION

Oregon State’s junior quarterback wasn’t even the Beavers’ sure-fire starter coming into the season. Now he leads the nation with 418.5 passing yards per game and is starting to gain national notice.

Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre after Mannion threw six touchdowns in a 44-17 victory against the Buffaloes: He's kind of a daredevil when he throws it. He threw into double-coverage three times against us, and three times (Oregon State receiver Brandin) Cooks came up with it. We should have had three picks, but Sean Mannion can throw the football.

Oregon State coach Mike Riley on Mannion: I think he's a grounded guy that doesn't lose sight of why this is happening. It's not an accident. He's well-prepared; he's got experience, and he's got the talent. He understands that preparation is the key.

Mannion: We feel good about our team. We feel we're getting better and better each week. Honestly, from our perspective, we let our play take care of itself. If we can continue to play good football, only good things are going to happen for us.

— Associated Press