N.C. State vs. Virginia (2-6, 0-4 ACC)

Last time out: The Cavaliers are coming off an open date but lost their last game, 16-10 at home to Wake Forest on Oct. 20.

Name to Know: running back Perry Jones, a senior. He hasn’t duplicated his production from 2011 but he’s still a capable running and receiving threat. Jones had 100 receiving yards against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 29 and 100 rushing yards against Duke on Oct. 6.

Bottom line: The Cavaliers are in disarray with six straight losses since beating Penn State on Sept. 8. Mike London, the ACC’s coach of the year in 2011, has switched quarterbacks, running backs and tried just about everything to jump-start a pedestrian offense.

Joe Giglio

Wake Forest vs. Boston Coll. (2-6, 1-4 ACC)

Last time out: The Eagles are at the bottom of the ACC’s Atlantic Division, but BC avoided its worst start since 1989 by rallying in the final minute to beat an injury-depleted Maryland 20-17 on Saturday, ending a five-game losing streak.

Name to know: Linebacker Nick Clancy, a 6-3, 232-pound senior. He’s following in the footsteps of former teammate Luke Kuechly, now a rookie with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Clancy is third in the nation and leads the ACC in total tackles with 93 (third nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision teams), along with a team-best seven pass breakups.

Bottom line: The last time the Eagles ended a five-game losing streak (in 2010), they went on to close out the season with five consecutive wins and went on to a bowl game for the 12th straight year. A repeat performance isn’t in the cards for this year’s BC team, which is at or near the bottom of the league in total offense and defense.

Bill Kiser

Duke vs. Clemson (7-1, 4-1 ACC)

Last time out: beat Wake Forest 42-13.

Name to know: It’s receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who has been very productive for the Tigers this season. Hopkins ranks second in the ACC with an average of 7.2 receptions for 113.6 yards per game.

Bottom line: Clemson, ranked No. 10 in the AP poll, presents a similar challenge to the one Duke faced last week at Florida State. Obviously that didn’t go to well for the Blue Devils, who lost 28-7. Duke does get Clemson at home, though, where the Blue Devils are 5-0. The last ranked team Duke beat was then-No. 13 Virginia on Nov. 5, 1994.

Laura Keeley

East Carolina vs. Houston (4-4, 3-1 C-USA)

Last time out: Houston forced six turnovers to top Texas-El Paso 45-35.

Name to know: Junior running back Charles Sims recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season on Saturday against UTEP. He averaged 9.9 yards and totaled 119 yards and three touchdowns. Sims, 6-foot, 213 pounds, leads Conference USA with 1,145 all-purpose yards and his 816 rushing yards are second in the league.

Bottom line: The Pirates suffered a tremendous setback over the weekend as they allowed Navy to rack up 512 rushing yards in a 56-28 loss. East Carolina faces one of Conference USA’s most complete running backs in Sims.

Brian Haines