Virginia fans should keep an eye on Monday night's FSU-SMU game

Normally, a prime-time, nationally televised holiday game wouldn't qualify for "under-the-radar" status. But Monday night's meeting between new ACC rivals SMU and Florida State carries a bit more weight than your normal season opener.

And it's one that Virginia fans should watch--not just because the Cavaliers face both teams in the next six weeks, but because it could help determine their competition for a spot in the ACC championship game in December.

Why this game should be on UVA's radar

SMU was picked second behind Miami in the preseason poll of ACC media. (Virginia was sixth.) Florida State is desperately trying to preserve coach Mike Norvell's job and faces a brutal early-season slate that also includes Alabama, Virginia, Louisville, and Miami. A slow start could mean a midseason pink slip for Norvell, similar to the ones LSU's Brian Kelly and Penn State's James Franklin received last year.

So expect a vigorous effort from the Seminoles on their home field, with the nation watching. They didn't exactly overwhelm New Mexico State in their opening 34-17 win, but they have one of the ACC's most dangerous receivers in Duce Robinson. (Just ask Virginia's defensive backs, who struggled to cover him in last year's dramatic double-overtime win.)

Most analysts already have Miami penciled in for one of the two spots in the Dec. 5 ACC championship game in Charlotte. Leading candidates for the other slot include SMU, Virginia, and Louisville.

Like Florida State, the Mustangs' schedule is heavily front-loaded. Twelve days after meeting the Seminoles, SMU must travel to Louisville, which came tantalizingly close to knocking off ninth-ranked Mississippi on Sunday night at a neutral site in Nashville, Tenn. And in mid-October, the Mustangs host Virginia, with the winner possibly taking the inside track to Charlotte.

That depends, of course, on both the Mustangs and Cavaliers taking care of business before then. If SMU stumbles against a motivated FSU squad on Monday, it faces the real possibility of a 0-2 ACC start, which might eliminate the Mustangs from ACC title contention (not to mention any College Football Playoff hopes) before the leaves even begin to change.

Keep an eye on SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who threw for 3,641 yards a season ago, with 26 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He's entering his third season as a starter, and the Mustangs often go as he goes.

Jennings threw for 365 yards and a touchdown in an overtime victory over Miami last year, but threw two interceptions in a loss to Baylor and was picked off three times in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona.

Week One was not exactly auspicious for the ACC, which saw Clemson trounced by LSU, Georgia Tech blow a late lead to Colorado and California stumble at home against rebuilding UCLA. Monday night's SMU-FSU game should give Virginia a clearer picture of the competition ahead.

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