FSU Seminoles

With all 12 teams playing in Week 1, including two conference games, there will be plenty to watch in the ACC, from Friday through Labor Day. Here are 10 things to keep an eye on, in no particular order:

1. NC State’s secondary vs. Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray. The Pack will be without starting cornerback C.J. Wilson, who has an “eligibility issue,” according to coach Tom O’Brien, but All-American David Amerson returns to help the Pack against Bray. Despite missing five games last season with a fractured thumb, Bray threw for 1,983 yards and 17 touchdowns.

2. Clemson in the trenches. Much of the focus leading up to the Auburn game has been on how Clemson will survive without suspended leading receiver Sammy Watkins, but more important is how Clemson will fare up front, on both the offensive and defensive lines. Depth on the offensive line remains a concern, and overall, Clemson had to replace six starters up front from last season.

3. True freshmen in College Park and Chestnut Hill. Maryland and Miami both will be depending heavily on true freshmen in their season openers. The Terps will have true freshman Perry Hills starting at quarterback, are likely to use two freshman running backs and will use receiver Stefon Diggs in several roles. Miami has more than a dozen freshmen in its two-deep.

4. Special teams in Blacksburg. Georgia Tech’s group was abysmal last season, but the Jackets hired special-teams coach Dave Walkosky, the first special-teams coach Paul Johnson has hired during his tenure in Atlanta. The Hokies are trying to get Beamerball back, but questions in the kicking game persisted through summer camp.

5. Jeremiah Attaochu vs. Logan Thomas, Part 2. In this game last season, Attaochu was about to complete a third-down sack of Thomas but couldn’t bring the lumberjack down. Attaochu let his frustration and adrenaline get the better of him, and took a swing at Thomas, drawing a personal foul. The two have been friendly since, but getting pressure on Thomas will be key in this game.

6. Florida State’s offensive line. If there is one reason not to snooze on the Murray State game, this is it. The Seminoles showed a lot of progress up front this offseason, but they must continue it if FSU is going to live up to the expectations this season.

7. ACC vs. SEC. The ACC hasn't had a winning record against the SEC since it went 5-4 in 2003. The ACC could help itself change that this weekend with a 2-0 start against the SEC with victories by NC State and Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff.

8. North Carolina’s tempo. We finally get to see the “Fed Spread” in Chapel Hill, as UNC will unveil its new up-tempo spread offense under first-year coach Larry Fedora. How many more plays will the Tar Heels be able to run, and how well will they execute them? Bottom line: How fast can this team score? Time of possession could be deceiving.

9. Duke’s backups. The Blue Devils will be missing about a dozen injured scholarship players against Florida International, including receiver Blair Holliday, tight end Braxton Deaver, defensive tackle Jamal Bruce, safety Jordon Byas and linebacker Kelby Brown.

10. Virginia’s revamped secondary. UVa has no seniors in its secondary after having three senior starters last season. Only three other schools (Florida State, LSU and North Texas) have a senior-less secondary. More specifically, there are no upper-classmen at the cornerback position. Sophomore Demetrious Nicholson is now the elder statesman of the group.

For all the buzz surrounding Ronald Darby or the expectations for five-star recruits Mario Edwards Jr. and Eddie Goldman, the only freshman guaranteed a starting job for Florida State this year is punter Cason Beatty.

And while Beatty has largely been secluded with the other specialists throughout the bulk of fall camp, his role this season could be significant.

Beatty replaces All-American punter Shawn Powell, and he'll have his work cut out for him to live up to that lofty precedent.

Powell led the nation with a 47-yard average a year ago -- nearly five yards per punt better than the next closest competitor in the ACC.

Jimbo Fisher isn't exactly expecting those results in Year 1 for Beatty, but thus far he's been impressed with what he's seen.

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Ah, it’s that time of year again. The time when you guys get to point and laugh when I am wrong, when you’re shocked into silence when I’m right, and when 12 fan bases are convinced I always pick against their team.

I heart predictions, don’t you?

As usual, my goal this year is to beat the guys over there in SEC land with a better picks percentage, but they’ve got a real tough job picking LSU and Alabama every week. Over here in ACC land, we’ve got a real conference race going on, and the unpredictability is a fabulous excuse for erroneous picks. Speaking of the SEC, I’m going to go out on a limb -- walk a plank, actually -- and say the ACC leaves Atlanta 2-0.

Undefeated … you know, just like my picks? Here we go, 2012 …

Miami 17, Boston College 14: The Eagles will give it everything they’ve got in a hard-fought game, but they’ll come up short late in the fourth quarter. Miami’s speed will be too much for a defense that will sorely miss tackling machine Luke Kuechly.

Clemson 34, Auburn 31: This has a high-scoring, last-play-of-the-game feel to it, and I’m willing to give Clemson the benefit of the doubt. Losing Sammy Watkins is going to hurt, yes, but the Tigers have enough surrounding talent that they’ll be able to compensate for his loss with a group effort.

Florida State 66, Murray State 10: Somehow I get the feeling Jimbo Fisher won’t call off the dogs in this one until later in the game. This will be a good chance for the offensive line to get the kinks and jitters out, and for the Seminoles to adjust to life without Greg Reid.

Maryland 24, William & Mary 14: Even with true freshman Perry Hills making his debut at quarterback, this is a home game the Terps should still win. It might get uncomfortably close at times, but Maryland has been embarrassed enough already not to let it happen again in the opener.

NC State 28, Tennessee 24: The Volunteers desperately need this victory, and it should be another down-to-the-wire game, but the Wolfpack will have the edge up front, and quarterback Mike Glennon will make enough plays down the stretch to be the difference.

Wake Forest 24, Liberty 10: This should be a ho-hum game for the Deacs, as long as they’re not looking ahead to next week’s game against North Carolina.

Florida International 34, Duke 31: The Blue Devils beat FIU on the road last year, but Duke’s injuries have accumulated over the past two months and will be a factor on both sides of the ball.

Virginia Tech 31, Georgia Tech 20: Did I mention this game is in Lane Stadium? Virginia Tech will come out fired up by its home-field advantage and force a fumble or a turnover that gives the Hokies the momentum early. The Hokies have questions on offense, yes, but it’s going to be Bud Foster’s defense that is the difference in this game.

North Carolina 38, Elon 10: Larry Fedora’s offense will work just fine in Week 1, but don’t expect to see the full repertoire against Elon. This will be a chance for the Tar Heels to work on the execution of new schemes on both offense and defense at game speed, and give them some game film to make corrections and adjustments before the Wake Forest game.

Virginia 24, Richmond 21: The Spiders, coached by quarterback Michael Rocco’s uncle, will keep things interesting against the Hoos. The familiarity between the coaching staffs will make this game better than it should be, as UVa coach Mike London was formerly the Richmond coach, and it is his alma mater.

Nick Waisome knows he'll be an inviting target this season.

On the opposite side is Xavier Rhodes, a future first-round pick in the NFL. Waisome, meanwhile, has made exactly one tackle in his college career.

So when the games begin Saturday, odds are, teams will be throwing Waisome's direction, and he's not shying away from the challenge.

"Bring it on," he said.

It's safe to say Florida State's sophomore cornerback, who edged out freshman Ronald Darby for the chance to replace the departed Greg Reid in the starting lineup, won't be lacking in confidence this season.

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Call it a premonition from a player all too familiar with what it feels like to get hurt.

Chris Thompson had darted downfield during a practice last Wednesday, and something just felt wrong. It wasn't a cramp or a pop -- but something with his hamstring felt off.

"Just the way I run, I can tell," Thompson said. "It's just something I really can't explain, but I can tell."

That's all head coach Jimbo Fisher needed to hear to pull back the reins on his starting running back as the season opener approached.

Thompson was held out of last week's scrimmage, and he was limited for the next couple of practices as he rested the hamstring. But after a week, Thompson insists he's back to 100 percent, and a potentially sticky situation was avoided.

"It wasn't anything serious because I stopped it before it was serious," Thompson said. "Now being back at practice, I'm starting to feel good again."

Thompson, who missed most of last season with a broken back, will be the starter against Murray State on Saturday, but Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr. are expected to see work, too.

"I feel very good about all three guys," Fisher said. "Chris is our starter, and he'll get plenty of reps and plenty of carries, but we've got to get Devonta and Wilder in, too."

McCloud out for opener: The torn pectoral muscle that has sidelined senior Anthony McCloud for the past three weeks will keep him out of Florida State's opener against Murray State, Fisher announced Tuesday.

McCloud, a two-year starter at defensive tackle, tore the pec during the first week of fall camp and has not been a full participant in workouts since.

Fisher said his training staff has preached caution, and although they were hopeful McCloud could return in time for the first game, the injury has been a little slower to heal than originally thought.

"It was going to be very close," Fisher said of whether McCloud figured to be ready for the opener. "But even if we were playing for the national championship, (the trainers) said they wouldn't feel comfortable with him going this week."

Timmy Jernigan is expected to get the start at defensive tackle in McCloud's place.

Hicks has surgery: Tight end Dan Hicks is done for the year after undergoing micro-fracture surgery on his knee.

Hicks suffered what was believed to be a relatively minor injury when a player rolled onto his leg during a practice two weeks ago, but when the knee was scoped, doctors found significantly more damage.

"They went in there to do the cartilage and there was an old injury that was pretty bad, it had been bothering him, and they saw it," Fisher said. "They had to do it right then."

Hicks has spent his first three seasons at Florida State as a defensive end, but he moved to tight end this spring to serve as Nick O'Leary's primary backup.

With Hicks out, Florida State will turn to Penn State transfer Kevin Haplea and true freshman Christo Kourtzidis, and Fisher said he's been pleased with both players.

"I think Haplea and Christo are doing a really nice job," Fisher said. "They've learned well, they block well, they're doing a lot of little things."

Some games offer clear and present danger to college football's title contenders. Others are slightly below the radar, yet feature opponents just as intent on spoiling a season. ESPN Insider Travis Haney has a look at the trap games that are most likely to serve as roadblocks in the BCS championship runs of the top eight teams in the preseason AP poll.

Florida State opens the 2012 season Saturday against FCS opponent Murray State, and while fans are no doubt excited for the season to begin, the opponent remains something of a mystery. So we talked to MSU head coach Chris Hatcher to get some inside information about the Seminoles' first foe of the season.

The Racers might not be a familiar foe, but Hatcher has plenty of ties to the area. Hatcher played and coached at Valdosta State, and his resume also includes stops at Kentucky and Georgia Southern. We previewed this game earlier this summer in our March on 2012 profiles, but Hatcher provided a good bit more detail.

Nole Nation: You've had a chance to see your team in action for the past month. How prepared do you think your guys are for the season opener in Tallahassee?

Chris Hatcher: We've gotten a lot better, there's no question about that. Whether that equates to us having more wins, only time will tell. But we're a much deeper team than we've been in the past.

Unfortunately a lot of that depth has come from freshmen that we've just signed. But we practice well, and I think for our level of ball at the FCS, we have an opportunity to have a good team, to be competitive in our conference. I'm excited about the progress that our program's made in a three-year period. When we got here, they'd only won 13 games in five seasons. We've won 13 in the past two. We're looking to step that up a notch this season.

NN: You've coached your share of these types of games in the past. What is it that you hope your team can get out of going up against a top-10 opponent like Florida State?

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Menelik Watson used to be a boxer, and it shows.

He's 6-foot-6 and tops 320 pounds, but he moves with the ease of someone half his size -- his feet quick, his body graceful.

At the point of contact, however, Watson is fierce. His hands are powerful, punishing.

"I feel it, and it hurts man," said defensive end Cornelius Carradine, who has wrestled repeatedly in the trenches with Watson during fall practice. "I have to give him an arm or bull him so he won't grab me. Because if he grabs you, pushes you, punches you -- it's impossible."

On the other side of the line, Cameron Erving is an equally formidable adversary.

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