Three ACC games to watch

Wake Forest at Clemson

Noon, WRAL, WFXI

Clemson (2-3, 1-2 ACC) will count on a defense ranked eighth in the nation against the pass (158.0 yards per game) to shut down Deacons quarterback Riley Skinner and an offense that has averaged 36 points over the last two weeks. Wake Forest (4-2, 2-1) can strengthen its hold on first place in the Atlantic Division with a win.

N.C. State at Boston College

3:30 p.m., WTVD, WCTI

Boston College (4-2, 2-2 ACC) is 24-10 since Tom O'Brien left for N.C. State. The Wolfpack (3-3, 0-2) is 14-17 under O'Brien, including an 0-2 mark against the Eagles. It won't be easy to end that skid today. Boston College is 4-0 at home this season.

No. 4 Virginia Tech at No. 19 Georgia Tech

6 p.m., ESPN2

Much-admired Hokies coordinator Bud Foster's aggressive defense will attempt to shut down a Georgia Tech offense that's averaging 277 rushing yards per game and is steamrolling opponents with the triple option.

Observations

Old school in Atlanta

If you like old-school, smash-mouth football, tune in to Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech today.

It's a matchup of the ACC's two most prolific rushing teams under coaches who believe in discipline and toughness. One of two factors will decide this game.

Georgia Tech (5-1, 3-1 ACC) has the home-field advantage, and the Yellow Jackets are 9-1 at home under Paul Johnson. But Virginia Tech (5-1, 3-0) has the better defense.

Taylor gets precise

It seems that Virginia Tech junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor finally is developing some passing ability to complement his considerable running skills.

Over his last two games, Taylor has completed 24 of 32 passes for 453 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Hokies already have a solid defense, good special teams and a strong running attack led by redshirt freshman Ryan Williams.

If Taylor can hurt opponents with the pass, too, Virginia Tech will be the most complete team the ACC has had in years.

Cavs' road still rough

At first glance it appears that Virginia coach Al Groh is going to prove a lot of people wrong -- again -- by getting the Cavaliers back into bowl contention after an 0-3 start.

Virginia has thrashed North Carolina and Indiana in the past two weeks and can get back to .500 overall with a win today at Maryland. But the Cavaliers' schedule will make a .500 finish to the season difficult to attain.

Coastal Division foes Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia Tech -- the best three teams in the ACC -- all remain on Virginia's schedule.

Tigers slow to score

Somehow, despite having speedsters C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford on the roster, Clemson has managed to rank 11th in the ACC in scoring at 24.0 points per game.

So far, first-year Clemson offensive coordinator Billy Napier has done nothing to disprove the theory that coach Dabo Swinney should have left him as recruiting coordinator -- where Napier was one of the best in the business.

By the numbers

1,364: Passing yards for Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner over his last four games.

10.3: Tackles per game for Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak, who leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in that statistic.

5,945: Career all-purpose yards for Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, an ACC record.

What's at stake

If Virginia Tech can solve the flexbone and win at Georgia Tech today, the Hokies will be on the fast track to the Coastal Division title and the ACC championship game. The four ACC teams remaining on Virginia Tech's schedule after today have a combined conference record of 2-5.

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