Around the ACC: Week 9
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Florida State (4-3) is fresh off its BYE week and hosts Georgia Tech (3-4) on Oct. 29 at noon. The Seminoles' three-game losing skid threw their hopes of contending in the Atlantic division out the window.
READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles release Depth Chart for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Outside the matchup in Tallahassee, there are six other Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) games in Week 9, including four ranked programs in action.
Here is the full slate of games.
Atlantic:
No. 16 Syracuse (6-1) vs. Notre Dame (4-3) - Oct. 29, Noon
The Orange suffered their first season loss on Oct. 22 against Clemson (27-21). However, they held a 21-10 lead and proved their six wins aren't a fluke. They'll face a Notre Dame program that has failed to meet expectations under first-year head coach Marcus Freeman but has victories against programs like North Carolina and BYU.
UConn (3-5) vs. Boston College (2-5) - Oct. 29, Noon
UConn enters this contest after a BYE week, while the Eagles are coming off a 43-15 loss versus Wake Forest. This matchup projects as a low-scoring affair, as the Eagles and Huskies each average less than 20 points per game.
Louisville (4-3) vs. No. 10 Wake Forest (6-1) - Oct. 29, 3:30 p.m.
This matchup pits two of the most experienced quarterbacks in the ACC against one another in Sam Hartman (Wake Forest) and Malik Cunningham (Louisville). However, Hartman has separated himself from Cunningham (and most quarterbacks in the nation) with 1755 yards, 21 touchdowns, and three interceptions thus far.
After their matchup versus Louisville, the Demon Deacons face three consecutive ranked opponents (NC State, North Carolina and Syracuse).
Cross Divisional:
No. 24 NC State (5-2) vs. Virginia Tech (2-5) - Oct. 27, 7:30 pm.
The Wolfpack are moving forward after quarterback Devin Leary suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle injury earlier this month against Florida State. They'll have a favorable matchup against the Hokies, who haven't won since defeating Wofford 27-7 on Sept. 17.
Virginia Tech has won five consecutive in this series dating back to 2005.
Coastal:
Virginia (3-4) vs. Miami (3-4) - Oct. 29, 12:30 p.m.
In the offseason, some around college football tabbed both of these programs as candidates to win a seemingly open Coastal division due to their returning quarterbacks junior Tyler Van Dyke and redshirt senior Brennan Armstrong. However, Van Dyke and Armstrong haven't replicated their 2021 success and both offenses have sputtered.
The loser of this matchup faces an uphill battle getting to bowl eligibility.
No. 21 North Carolina (6-1) vs. Pittsburgh (4-3) - Oct. 29, 8 p.m.
Head coach Mack Brown and the Tar Heels are searching for their first coastal divisional title since 2015 and have an opportunity to put themselves in the driver's seat with a victory over the Panthers. Pittsburgh has lost two of its last three and didn't score a second-half touchdown in last week's loss against Louisville.
The history of this series is fascinating. Since 2000, the two programs have played 10 times. All 10 games have been decided by seven or fewer points and five have been decided by three points or less.
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Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the season.
