FSU Seminoles

Wake Forest starting noseguard Nikita Whitlock has been ruled out for Saturday's game against Florida State with a sprained ankle.

Whitlock was hurt last week against North Carolina and has been unable to practice. On the ACC coaches call earlier this week, Grobe talked about the prospect of playing without his top defensive lineman.

"I like Tylor Harris," Grobe said. "He's a true freshman, but he's a big guy, he's very athletic, he's a pretty physical kid. I really like the things that he's doing right now. Some of our other guys that have been very productive, I thought the nice thing was when we didn't have Zach Thompson last week that Hasan Hazime came in and played absolutely great, and now he'll be starting at defensive end. That might give us a chance to move Zach down inside.

"It's really hard to replace Nikita, but I think the thing we've got is we've got about five guys in that defensive front for those three positions where we've kind of through practice in August rotated those guys around, and most of those guys have played either noseguard or defensive end.

"We've got enough athletes that we can move those guys around. We'd hate to miss Nikita, but I think Tylor Harris will be the guy starting out, but we'll have to roll some of those guys in behind him to try to keep him fresh."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Jimbo Fisher expects to have Menelik Watson and Xavier Rhodes ready for Saturday's game against Wake Forest after the pair of starters missed practice time this week.

Watson injured an ankle during Tuesday's practice and did not work out with the team Wednesday. He was limited during Thursday's drills, but he appeared to be moving well and Fisher doesn't anticipate a need to sit the right tackle Saturday.

"He was out there moving around, took a rep or two, and the ankle is good," Fisher said. "We're expecting him to play."

Fellow junior college transfer Daniel Glauser took the bulk of the reps with the first-team offensive line, and Fisher said he wouldn't be concerned about using the backup right tackle against Wake Forest if necessary.

Rhodes missed Tuesday's practice with flu symptoms, but he was back on the field Thursday, laughing and joking with teammates during drills and appearing to be past the illness.

In fact, Fisher said Rhodes has been remarkably impressive this week.

"Xavier has looked as good as he's every looked the last couple days," Fisher said.

The only new addition to Florida State's injury report is linebacker Markuss Eligwe, who will not be available this week with a hand injury. Eligwe was already slated to redshirt this season.

Going for Goldman: Ronald Darby's quick start in the secondary and the will-they-or-won't-they decisions on redshirts for Mario Edwards Jr. and Chris Casher have garnered the most attention among freshmen performances thus far, but defensive tackle Eddie Goldman continues to make progress, too.

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The easiest way for Florida State athletics director Randy Spetman to capture the importance of the ACC's new agreement with Notre Dame was to offer an alternative.

"If you woke up this morning and read that Notre Dame had gone to the Big 12 or the Big Ten, what would you think of the ACC today?" Spetman said.

From the national branding to the name recognition to the rich history and Hollywood lore, Notre Dame brings a level of cache that the ACC didn't want to lose.

But amid all the buzz that followed the announcement that the Irish would join the ACC in all sports except football -- where they'll play five games per year -- what was largely ignored was that Notre Dame simply hasn't been a very good football program in the past two decades.

For Florida State fans, the two programs will be forever intertwined thanks to the "Game of the Century" in 1993. Notre Dame prevailed, but was felled a week later by Boston College, and in the end, it was Florida State that hoisted the national championship trophy.

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ACC blogger Heather Dinich takes a look at what Florida State needs to do to end its recent skids against Wake Forest.

It's finally time for ACC games to get started, and Florida State's first conference adversary has been a thorn in its side in recent years.

To get the behind-the-scenes insight on Wake Forest and what it will take for the Demon Deacons to topple FSU for the fifth time in seven years, we caught up with Bob Sutton, who covers Wake for the Burlington Times-News. Here's what he had to say:

NoleNation: Wake Forest is a heavy underdog, and the Deacons have barely escaped in their first two games. But they've had a lot of success against FSU in recent years. What's the confidence level like for them heading into this game?

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It would be difficult to say that arguably the most prestigious program in college football history could possibly expand its recruiting footprint.

Notre Dame, a nationally recognized program, regularly brings in student-athletes from Florida, Texas and California. With its new membership in the ACC and football scheduling, that national reach won't shrink.

But it all comes down to this -- schools such as Florida State or Miami will still go head-to-head with Notre Dame for prospects.

This year, the competition is for cornerback Mackensie Alexander (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee), a five-star cornerback who is considering Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Tennessee, among others.

Last year it was Ronald Darby, a defensive back who is now getting immediate playing time with the Noles as a true freshman. He was rated the third-best cornerback in the country by ESPN and decommitted from Notre Dame before eventually signing with Florida State.

Before that, it was Aaron Lynch and Jordan Prestwood -- both of whom are no longer at Notre Dame, where they signed. Both were committed to Florida State at one point.

The Irish appeal to recruits is clear. Whether it is the history and tradition, the academics or other factors, recruits enjoy their time in South Bend when they visit.

What the Seminoles have going for them, like the Hurricanes before them, is location. Winning helps, too, of course.

So while Notre Dame's product will be featured more prominently in the state of Florida by rotating teams on the schedule every three years or so, the net effect doesn't drastically change much on the recruiting front.

Remember this day, ACC fans, because it’s going to be historic.

The ACC has managed to do what no other conference has been able to, and get Notre Dame to embrace change.

Not the Big Ten. Not the Big 12. The ACC.

“The only conference with whom we entered into substantive discussions was the ACC,” said Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick.

The ACC has done the unprecedented and won over Notre Dame -- so much so that if the Irish would ever decide to shed their cloak of independence, there’s no question the ACC would be their new football home.

“I want to reinforce that it’s our intention to remain independent,” Swarbrick said. “It’s central to us and was central to these discussions. If something should change -- I don’t know what that would be, but if something drastic would change -- we’re committed to the ACC. We would expect this to be the home of that if we made a change, but I don’t want to send the wrong message.”

The message “committed to the ACC” is a win in itself.

The ACC’s announcement on Wednesday that Notre Dame will join the conference in all sports but football is a major coup for the ACC and could be a steppingstone for the Irish into full-blown football membership. Both Notre Dame and the ACC had to make concessions to make this work. It's not the ACC's style to allow a member to join without the total package. Committing to five games seems like a prolonged engagement, with it only being a matter of time before these two finally get married. The ACC also jacked up its exit fee from about $20 million to more than $50 million -- an astronomical number that should once and for all put an end to any speculation about teams leaving the ACC.

(Just a reminder, it still only costs $10 million to leave the Big East.)

Don’t let John Swofford’s smile and polite handshake fool you: The mild-mannered businessman knows how to cut a deal -- not to mention recruit.

With this move, the ACC hit two home runs: It solidified its current membership for the future and cornered Notre Dame into a commitment. The biggest downside to this for ACC fans is the bowl arrangement. Under the new agreement, Notre Dame could step over an ACC team and take its place in one of the non-BCS bowls if its record is better than, equal to or within one win of the ACC team or ranked higher in the BCS standings. ACC fans are likely to get a taste of what has angered Big East fans for years. In the big picture, though, it's worth the trade-off.

While five football games might seem like a tease to many ACC fans, it’s important to remember that that’s almost half of Notre Dame’s schedule. Eventually, under this new agreement, every ACC team will face Notre Dame at least once in a three-year period. That’s an especially intriguing scenario, considering the ACC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule next year when Pittsburgh and Syracuse join the league.

Adding Notre Dame to the lineup for Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech, which already have built-in SEC rivals, will make a national championship run even more difficult, but it also will make for a more entertaining nonconference schedule (see you later, Savannah State and Murray State). It also will boost the ACC’s strength of schedule in time for the new playoff system, as Swarbrick said Notre Dame would like to begin the five-game arrangement as early as 2014.

The timetable for the other sports to leave the Big East is still unknown, as the Big East bylaw still requires a 27-month notice period for teams to leave. That has been followed about as well as a 35 mph speed limit sign, though, as Pitt, West Virginia and Syracuse all have set legal precedent to leave before then. Pitt and Syracuse will join the ACC in July 2013.

The possibility of Notre Dame football eventually following now seems more viable than ever.

The ACC had its weekly coaches' conference call shortly after the Notre Dame news broke. Here is a sampling of what some of the league coaches had to say about the addition of Notre Dame, which will play five games annually against ACC teams.

Frank Spaziani, Boston College: “We have a mutual respect for each other, an appreciation for each other. We understand what a great institution it is. So I think it’s tremendous for our league and certainly for Boston College. We play them; now to be playing them in other sports, it’s valuable. It’s very valuable. … It’s a marquee brand. I think any time you add a marquee brand to your established tradition and the wonderful stuff that you have, it enhances it.”

Then a joke: "From our perspective, we play them every year. I thought they were in the ACC, to be honest with you."

Dabo Swinney, Clemson: "I’m sure they could have their pick of conferences, and for them to choose the ACC is, I think, a great thing. They’re making a commitment to play five conference football games. Even though they’re not going to be a football member right now, for them to make that commitment, I think that’s very strong, so it’s exciting. It further secures this conference’s strength of schedule and moving forward as we get into the playoff scenarios. I think it’s a real positive for the ACC."

Randy Edsall, Maryland: "Personally, yes I wish they were all in for football, but again, until I get all the information in terms of how those five games are going to be structured and is it going to be a home-and-home situation, or who are the five teams they are going to play. There’s still so much information, but for the overall good of the league, it is a quality institution and a quality program."

Jim Grobe, Wake Forest: "It brings a lot of respect to our conference to have Notre Dame affiliated. Our game last year with them was probably the most exciting environment and fun night that we’ve had playing football. The problem is they’re good and we had a chance late to tie it and go into overtime. We didn’t get the job done; that was tough in the locker room after the game. But the excitement and the experience having Notre Dame come to town was fantastic."

Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: "I think it's great for the ACC and great for Notre Dame. Both of us benefit ... helps us with the bowls in every way."

Al Golden, Miami, on the hope that Notre Dame becomes a full-time football member: "I think I share the sentiment of everybody: We’d love to have them. They represent all the things we represent in the Atlantic Coast Conference. I would hope it would be that at some point. I just think it’s great, and I can’t say enough about the leadership in our conference for what we’ve gotten done in the last year."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The picture painted by Florida State athletics director Randy Spetman on Wednesday was vivid -- a sold-out stadium, national attention, leverage in TV deals and conference security for years to come.

The reality of Notre Dame's arrival into the Atlantic Coast Conference -- partially in football, completely in all other sports -- is a bit more complex. But the end results will be worth it, Spetman said.

"When we have them here, it'll be a guaranteed sell-out game for us," Spetman said. "There are so many positives with this program on how we can go forward and the national branding that it brings to our university."

More significantly perhaps, Notre Dame's partnership brings some stability to the ACC, which endured months of rumors that big-name programs, including Florida State, could bolt for more lucrative TV deals with the SEC or Big 12.

The odds of that happening diminished markedly Wednesday, as the conference also announced the exit fee for a school hoping to leave the conference would increase to three times the annual operating budget, or upwards of $50 million.

Spetman declined to confirm whether Florida State was in favor of raising the exit fee, but he said strengthening the makeup of the conference was essential.

"What they are doing, which I think is great for our conference, is to secure the stability of the conference," Spetman said. "It's going to cement the conference together for the long term and be security for each one of us."

While conference stability is enhanced under the new agreement, scheduling becomes far more problematic.

Spetman said it has yet to be determined when the Irish would make their first trip to Tallahassee, but the most likely scenario for scheduling would include a home-and-home series being played between Notre Dame and each ACC member every six years.

That's a potential boon for FSU when Notre Dame makes its trip to Tallahassee, but the road date becomes tricky.

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The road to a conference title may have gotten a bit tougher, but Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton said he's thrilled about the addition of Notre Dame to the ACC.

With the additions of Notre Dame, Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East, the ACC soon will have 15 teams competing in basketball, including three of the five winningest in the sport's history.

"The ACC has always been known as a top basketball conference," Hamilton said. "Add Syracuse and Pittsburgh, and it makes it an elite conference. Now you bring Notre Dame in, and it makes an elite conference even greater. I don't know how much more excitement there could be in the league, but it's brought it to a new level that's off the Richter scale."

But while Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh will add depth to a league that sent just five teams to the NCAA tournament a year ago, it also means the elite ACC teams will cycle through home-and-home dates on the schedule less often.

FSU athletics director Randy Spetman said it's likely that home-and-home series against teams like Duke and North Carolina will go from happening once every three years to once every six instead.

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