ACC Rewind | Seminoles head to U of L unbeaten

Florida State will indeed travel to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium undefeated, and perhaps No. 1 again after beating Notre Dame on Saturday night.

The Oct. 30 Cards-Seminoles matchup starts a streak of games that will define U o f L's season, though there's little time for Atlantic Coast Conference movement with Boston College the only other league foe on the schedule.

A number of dominos would have to fall to get the Cards to the conference championship game. With the future in mind, here's a look around the league:

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. Florida State (7-0, 4-0) — The Seminoles seemingly always find a way to win, and in a 31-27 victory over Notre Dame, they received some help from the Irish, called for a rare offensive pass interference late in the drive. As SBNation.com's Rodger Sherman points out, it was the right call. (http://bit.ly/1DpnkKp)

2. Clemson (5-2, 4-1) — The Tigers will be without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson for a while as a broken finger heals, but Cole Stoudt, who helped Clemson hold on to beat U of L last week, did it again — this week versus Boston College. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 285 yards in a 17-13 win. (http://grnol.co/1nvVUyy)

3. Louisville (6-2, 4-2) — DeVante Parker's impact was immediate and, perhaps, immeasurable. The senior receiver played a big role in the Cardinals' 30-18 victory over NC State, tallying 132 yards on nine catches during a game in which U of L's offense found some identity. (http://cjky.it/1wqh6Yc)

4. Boston College (4-3, 1-2) — The Eagles suffered the same fate as U of L against Clemson, failing to finish a final drive with a touchdown. Quarterback Tyler Murphy had Tyler Rouse open in the end zone, but the running back dropped the ball, allowing the Tigers to assume possession and run out the clock. (http://bit.ly/1yPo8s6)

5. Syracuse (3-4, 1-2) — The Orange moved to within three games of bowl-eligibility, finally putting together all the pieces in a 30-7 win at Wake Forest. But it's tough sledding to six wins from here with Clemson and Duke still left to play. (http://bit.ly/1qUVPk2)

6. Wake Forest (2-5, 0-3) — Things were already bad for a young Wake Forest team. They got worse Saturday during a loss to Syracuse, when quarterback John Wolford was knocked out of the game after taking a shot to the head. "I think it's just one of (those) issues that you play it extremely, extremely safe," coach Dave Clawson said. (http://bit.ly/ZBcgdJ)

7. North Carolina State (4-4, 0-4) — The other side of NC State's loss at U of L was all about arriving at a week off. "We need a bye week bad," coach Dave Doeren said, as his team will reorganize and aim to snap what's now a 12-game conference losing streak. (http://bit.ly/1uplySI)

COASTAL DIVISION

1. Duke (6-1, 2-1) — The Blue Devils, in control of the division now with a 20-13 win over second-place Virginia on Saturday, used perhaps their best defensive performance of the season to hold off the Cavaliers. Duke limited limited Virginia to just a field goal in the second half, and the defense twice stood to protect a 7-point lead. (http://bit.ly/1nvVY1k)

2. Virginia (4-3, 2-1) — On the other side of that game, Virginia "showed that maybe it still has lessons to learn before it can step into prime time," wrote the Charlottesville Daily Progress' Jerry Ratcliffe. In a game of lost opportunities, the Cavaliers didn't record a sack or turnover for just the second time under its current defensive coordinator. (http://bit.ly/11R8PRX)

3. Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-1) — The Panthers, out of a week off, played Thursday against Virginia Tech featuring some new read option looks with quarterback Chad Voytik, who tallied a career-high 118 rushing yards in a 21-16 win. "We had success with it, so I think we're going to keep going with it," Voytik said. (http://bit.ly/1nu6tlD)

4. Georgia Tech (5-2, 2-2) — North Carolina's offense picked up 6.6 yards per play in a 48-43 victory over the Yellow Jackets, leading the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Ken Sugiura to look at the Georgia Tech defense's shortcomings. (http://on-ajc.com/1vPGzvI)

5. Miami (4-3, 1-2) — Off this week, talk is still about the Hurricanes' dominating win over Cincinnati where they scored 55 points, including their first defensive touchdown of the season. Heading into a Thursday night game against Virginia Tech, Tyriq McCord, a 248-pounder who had a pick-six against the Bearcats, wants to return to the end zone. (http://hrld.us/11R8W00)

6. Virginia Tech (4-3, 1-2) — It took the Hokies' offense six drives to gain so much as a first down against Pittsburgh, and they finished 2 of 14 on 3rd down conversions in the road loss. (http://bit.ly/1yPojnf)

7. North Carolina (3-4, 1-2) — The Tar Heels scored with 11 seconds left at home to complete a rally on Georgia Tech, ending a four-game losing streak for a team that started the season in the Top 25. "I think (Saturday's game) was the turning point of our season really," said linebacker Jeff Schoettmer. (http://bit.ly/1tDiHLn)

Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner .