SATURDAY’S GAMES
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh, noon, ABC
Duke at North Carolina, noon, ESPN2
Syracuse at Louisville, 12:30 p.m.
N.C. State at Boston College, 12:30 p.m., WUPA
Virginia at Miami, FSSO, 3 p.m.
Florida State at Clemson, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Start the countdown until Dec. 6.
That’s when the final College Football Playoff rankings will be announced. And if Clemson is No. 1 that day, Dabo Swinney said “we will have the biggest poll party you’ve ever seen.”
“We’ll open up Death Valley and serve pizza to everybody on Dec. 6,” he told the media this week. “That will be a time to celebrate a poll. Until then, it just doesn’t matter.”
The Tigers (8-0) are No. 1 in this season’s first CFP rankings and must still navigate their final four games, beginning Saturday against Florida State (7-1), which is 16th in the CFP Top 25.
Either Clemson or FSU has represented the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship game the past six years, and the Tigers can clinch a share of the division title by defeating the Seminoles for the first time since 2011.
FSU is the main obstacle to Clemson’s undefeated season. The Tigers will follow with games against Syracuse (Nov. 14), Wake Forest (Nov. 21) and South Carolina (Nov. 28), which are a combined 9-16.
“Every game is the Super Bowl. Every single week,” Swinney said. “But as you go through the season, the margin for error gets smaller. We don’t have to play Florida State to get excited about playing a game. And our fans don’t either. We sell out Wofford and App State. So let’s just get excited about playing. But am I pumped about being 8-0? Heck yeah. But if we were 4-4, I’d be just as excited about playing this week.”
Clemson has won 11 consecutive games — the nation’s fifth-longest winning streak — and quarterback Deshaun Watson (Gainesville) is coming off a six-touchdown performance in a win over N.C. State.
Perhaps more impressive has been the play of Clemson’s defense, despite allowing 41 points and 389 yards to the Wolfpack.
The Tigers rank first in third-down percentage (21.2 percent), first in first downs allowed (104), fifth in total defense (278.1 yards) and 19th in scoring defense (17.6 points).
“They got big guys up front,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said this week. “They have 24 sacks, I believe it is. They got a bunch of tackles for loss, over 70 tackles for loss. They cause chaos. … They’re a very talented group across the board at all levels. All those guys will play in the NFL.”
Corn is ripe: Miami's Corn Elder has received tons of publicity for scoring on "The Return," the controversial eight-lateral kickoff return that helped defeat Duke.
But the junior cornerback already had excelled on defense and had returned a punt for a touchdown this season.
“Like I’ve always been taught and has always been said to me, ‘If you show me a good player, I’ll show you a better person first,’” Miami interim coach Larry Scott told the media. “That’s what Corn is. He’s a really good person first. Those characteristics come out and come through in everything that he does. That’s why he always finds himself in those positions to make those plays.”
Thanks to his role in “The Return,” Elder is one of three FBS players to return both a kickoff and a punt for scores this season.
He also has 27 tackles and has broken up nine passes.
On the rise: No. 21 North Carolina (7-1) is 4-0 in the ACC for the first time since 1997 — which was Mack Brown's final year as coach — thanks to what current coach Larry Fedora called "great" leadership and chemistry.
“Those are the reasons why you’re in this position you’re in right now,” he told reporters. “We just want to keep doing what we’re doing. I’m not going to sit here and say we need to work harder (or) we need a better game plan. If we haven’t been doing that, what have we been doing?”
The Tar Heels have allowed an average of 7.6 points in the second half this season and have the fourth fewest punts in the FBS with 22.
All-around QB: Duke's Thomas Sirk had 12 career attempts entering this season and was known more for his running ability.
He still runs.
Sirk ranks 10th in the ACC with 485 yards rushing, but he also ranks fourth in the conference with 1,788 yards passing and is one of only five quarterbacks at Power Five schools who leads his team in both categories.
The others: Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Dak Prescott (Mississippi State), Seth Collins (Oregon State) and Jerrod Heard (Texas).
Sirk has thrown 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions this season.
More on 'The Return': Miami committed an ACC-record 23 penalties in the win over Duke and would have had one more if the flag it received for blocking in the back on the final play hadn't been picked up by the officials.
He said it: "I don't know if there's ever a good time to play Notre Dame. Am I right? I mean, it's a good football team. It doesn't matter if it's within the first four games or late in the season. It doesn't matter." — Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi on playing host to No. 8 Notre Dame (7-1) on Saturday
Etc.: Syracuse has lost five consecutive games after winning its first three. … Louisville defensive end Trevon Young has five sacks in the past two games. … Miami (5-3) and N.C. State (5-3) can qualify for bowls with victories on Saturday. … North Carolina receiver Mack Hollins has six touchdowns on his 16 catches this season. He's averaging 24.3 yards a catch. … Virginia running back Taquan Mizzell has rushed for 446 yards and caught 46 passes for 499 yards. … Miami is tied for sixth in the FBS in turnover margin at plus-10. … This will be Boston College's 10th consecutive game. The Eagles will be off next week.
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