Florida State is very much in the national championship discussion after its impressive dismantling of Clemson last weekend. The Seminoles haven’t been challenged by anybody this season except (oddly enough) Boston College, and it doesn’t look like a depleted N.C. State team will have much for them on Saturday.
How to watch NC State vs. Florida State 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Here’s everything you need to know in order to catch the game between the Wolfpack and Seminoles.
The Wolfpack is getting back starting quarterback Brandon Mitchell, which should inject some life into the offense, but there isn’t enough talent on hand here to keep up with FSU, in all likelihood. Mitchell suffered a foot injury in N.C. State’s first game and hasn’t played since, so there will be some rust to shake off as well. The Wolfpack offense struggled in his absence -- N.C. State has scored a total of 37 points in three conference games.
Florida State has not scored fewer than 41 points in a game all season.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Florida State comes in at 6-0 (4-0) and ranked third in both the Coaches and AP polls. The Seminoles are No. 2 in the BCS standings released last week. Unranked N.C. State is 3-3 (0-3) this season. FSU holds a 21-10 edge in the all-time series.
Vegas: Florida State opened as a 27.5-point favorite.
Weather: Mostly sunny skies are expected, with a high of 73.
Three names to know
Jameis Winston -- There isn't a lot left that can be said about the redshirt freshman phenom, who has quickly emerged as a serious Heisman Trophy candidate. His most recent performance: a 444-yard passing effort at Clemson. Winston is averaging 12 yards per attempt this season, and he has 20 touchdown passes against just three interceptions.
Brandon Mitchell -- Mitchell is N.C. State’s x-factor moving forward, because he’s played less than a quarter this season, making it tough to even hazard a guess about how good he’ll be. He diversifies the Wolfpack offense because he’s much more dangerous running the ball than backup Pete Thomas. Whether that’s enough to make the offense more productive remains to be seen.
Rashad Greene -- Greene leads Seminoles wideouts with 553 yards receiving and seven touchdown grabs. That yardage total ranks fifth in the ACC, and it puts him on pace to easily surpass his career high of 741 receiving yards in a season.
Two things at stake
Florida State is No. 2 in the BCS standings by the slimmest of margins over No. 3 Oregon, leaving the Seminoles no room for mistakes moving forward. Even winning out might not be enough to get the Seminoles into the BCS title game, but they can’t worry about that right now. With a win over Clemson in hand, they’re in great shape to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division. They just have to take care of business.
N.C. State is just fighting for bowl eligibility at this point. Injuries have, in part, led to a disappointing 0-3 start to conference play, but this is simply not a good team. A win over FSU would mean N.C. State has spoiled the Seminoles’ national title hopes for the second straight season, and it would be a huge boost for the team heading into the back half of the schedule.
How to witness
TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET
Further reading
For complete coverage of this game, be sure to visit Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation and N.C. State blog Backing The Pack.
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