FSU Seminoles

Only three regular-season games remain. So what is every team in the ACC playing for down the stretch?

Let's take a look:

Atlantic Division

Boston College. The Eagles are going to end up with consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1997 and '98. At 2-7, the goal has to be avoiding their worst season since going 2-9 in 1989. That, and trying to save coach Frank Spaziani's job -- if they can.

Clemson. ACC title/BCS chances are at stake. If the Tigers win out, they will have broken their three-game losing streak to South Carolina AND will get a chance at securing an at-large berth in the BCS. If they win out AND Florida State loses to either Virginia Tech or Maryland, the Tigers are back in the ACC championship game.

Florida State. If the Seminoles win their last two ACC games, they are in the ACC title game. If they win out, they have their first 11-win season since 2000.

Maryland. Even though the Terps have been the unluckiest team in America, they still have a shot at bowl eligibility if they win two of their final three games. That is a big "if" with Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina left. But at least they doubled their win total from a year ago.

NC State. The Wolfpack have to end a two-game losing streak and finish strong -- they need only one more win to clinch their third straight bowl season.

Wake Forest. For a program that has seen its best players miss games because of injuries, being on the precipice of bowl eligibility is a huge accomplishment. The Deacs need one win over NC State, Notre Dame or Vanderbilt to go to consecutive bowl games for the first time since 2007 and '08.

Coastal Division

Duke. If the Blue Devils win out, they are in the ACC championship game for the first time.

Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets need two wins in their final three games to keep their 15-year bowl streak alive. They also have an outside shot at the Coastal Division.

Miami. If the Hurricanes win out, they are in the ACC championship game for the first time.

North Carolina. The Tar Heels do not have postseason hopes because they are ineligible, but finishing first in the Coastal Division has been a huge goal for this team. It is called playing for pride.

Virginia. The Hoos have not been mathematically eliminated from Coastal Division contention, but the more immediate goal is to win out to become bowl-eligible again.

Virginia Tech. The Hokies are having one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. They still have an outside shot at the Coastal Division. But At 4-5, they must avoid finishing with their worst record since going 8-5 in 2003. The last time they had a losing record? Try 2-8-1 in 1992.

When Florida State travels to Virginia Tech on Thursday night, it will be a homecoming of sorts for quarterback EJ Manuel, who grew up in Virginia Beach, Va., and was recruited by the Hokies.

Manuel and Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas, a native of Lynchburg, Va., have gone in different directions this season, despite similar beginnings. Manuel ranks second nationally in passing efficiency (174.03) having completed 70 percent of his passes this season for 2,315 yards. Thomas has plummeted from a first-round draft hopeful to off the boards after throwing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season.

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said he recruited Manuel, but understood his decision to go to Florida State, especially considering former quarterback Tyrod Taylor already had a firm grasp on the position at the time.

“We like the one we got from the state of Virginia,” Beamer said. “I think Logan is an excellent quarterback.”

Thomas has just taken the brunt of the criticism this year for the Hokies’ struggling offense, which is No. 7 in the ACC at 27.1 points per game. Beamer said he spoke with Thomas following the Hokies’ 30-12 loss to Miami last week and continued to encourage him. Thomas threw two interceptions against the Canes, but he also ran for 124 yards and a touchdown and threw for 199 yards.

“My thing with him is, I appreciate his toughness very much,” Beamer said. “I don’t want him to put too much load on himself. I think the quarterback is always going to be a key point. … It’s just one of those things where you’ve just got to play your game. He is certainly playing good enough. I really admire how he has played. He wants to win so badly and it hurts him when he doesn’t, and that’s the kind of guy you appreciate.”

For Manuel, this will be his first game in his home state since high school. Despite Virginia Tech fans' displeasure with their own offense, Manuel said he is expecting their venom to come his way in Lane Stadium.

"It's going to be crazy," Manuel said, according to Seminoles.com. "They are going to hate us, I know that. They are going to hate me being that I am from Virginia and I came here. I already know what to expect."

Unfortunately, so does Thomas.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Jimbo Fisher is focused on winning five more games this season, but he's keenly aware that 2012 is coming to a close for a number of other programs, and that could mean some shake-ups at Florida State.

With several prominent head-coaching jobs likely to come open in the next few weeks, Fisher figures several of his top assistants -- in particular, defensive coordinator Mark Stoops -- will be hot commodities, and the rumor mill doesn’t stop there.

Fans at Auburn have already begun circulating Fisher's name as a potential replacement should Gene Chizik be fired at season's end, and while Fisher said he's not looking at any other options at this point, he didn't entirely dismiss the notion, either.

"We haven't talked to nobody," Fisher said. "I'm happy here, and I'm not talking to anybody. I wouldn't even think of doing that until the season is over, and I don't have any plans on doing that."

Plans can change, but it seems unlikely Fisher would venture away from Florida State for anything less than one of the marquee jobs in the country.

He's routinely suggested that Florida State is a "dream job," and between success on the recruiting trail and extensive organizational control, Fisher would be hard pressed to find a more accommodating position.

For anyone to make a run at luring Fisher away from Florida State, where he is currently under contract through 2016 earning an average of $2.75 million per year, Fisher said all requests would have to follow proper protocol, and that he would not tell his agent to seek out offers.

"They'd have to go through the proper channels to call your AD or the president and say, 'Would we have permission to talk?' and we'd have to give it and ask me if I'd be interested or not interested," Fisher said. "That would be the proper way you have to do it. I would always do it that way. I'm straight up."

While Fisher might not be looking elsewhere, he said he's expecting several assistants to have options for positions with other programs, including Stoops. In fact, Fisher said he's not only expecting changes to his staff, he's encouraging them.

"I don't worry," Fisher said. "I hope [Stoops gets an offer]. When I was that guy, that's what I wanted to do. Change is inevitable. You've got to have a plan for it and where you want to go and what you want to do. I hope he stays here forever. As long as I'm here, I want him as defensive coordinator. But I also want him to reach his dreams and goals to become a head football coach."

Stoops has been FSU's defensive coordinator since 2010, and has helped revitalize the Seminoles' defense. When Stoops arrived, he inherited a unit that ranked 108th nationally in total defense. This season, FSU is No. 1 in the country.

Stoops was rumored for several coordinator and head-coaching vacancies following the 2011 season, but after watching his brother Mike struggle at Arizona, Mark Stoops said he was reticent to leave Florida State unless he was certain the job offer was an ideal fit.

"You've got to make sure you take the right job to have an opportunity to win," Stoops said before the season. "This thing, there's a lot of things you've got to have in place to be successful beyond yourself and your coaches. You better have some support, top to bottom."

If Stoops or another top assistant leaves, Fisher won't be caught off guard.

"I have a list of every position out there of five, six, seven guys that you would immediately pick up the phone and go to," Fisher said. "You're constantly changing that and adding to that. That's something as a head coach you have to spend a lot of time doing. In this business, change is inevitable. With the money -- it ain't like guys stay somewhere forever and ever."

While the transitions on a staff can cause some immediate problems, Fisher said losing assistants can also be a boon for a program. Just as a program hopes to recruit top players and prepare them for careers in the NFL, developing assistant coaches also helps build a reputation that creates a pipeline for talent.

"You hope your system helps develop head coaches. I love that," Fisher said. "I want to be known as that. It makes the other top assistants want to come and makes other people want to be here. You have good players, you have a good system, you're organized well, you understand the big picture and what you want. I think that's another thing -- just like players want to come somewhere to get developed, hopefully coaches can do the same thing."

This is exactly what ACC commissioner John Swofford and his colleagues in Greensboro, N.C., had in mind when Miami joined the ACC in July 2004: No. 10 Florida State versus Miami in the ACC championship game.

Only not really.

Not at all, actually.

As the ACC heads into Week 11, it does so with historic rivals Florida State and Miami leading their respective divisions and on track to play each other in the Dr Pepper ACC championship game in Charlotte on Dec. 1. This Miami team, though, is unranked. It has four losses. It is under NCAA investigation. It could self-impose a postseason ban.

And, quite frankly, it’s not very good.

It just so happens the rest of the Coastal Division is worse -- or, in North Carolina’s case, ineligible.

How bad is it? Start with the fact Duke is the only bowl-eligible team in the division right now. Further proof: Last Thursday night against Virginia Tech -- the team that was picked by the media to win the division but dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 after just three weeks -- Miami was outgained, went 1-for-12 on third down and had just 3 yards on 12 plays in the third quarter.

P.S. Miami won.

There’s no guarantee Miami will even get to Charlotte -- it still has Coastal Division road trips to Virginia and Duke. Virginia is coming off a surprising win over NC State, and Duke can still play for the ACC title if it wins out. Miami, though, despite all of its flaws, has the inside track thanks to some good coaching, some good luck and the rest of the division’s ineptitude.

Miami deserves credit, of course, for playing its way into this position and taking advantage of the situation (and Virginia Tech’s plethora of mistakes last week). Getting to the ACC championship game would be a huge accomplishment for Al Golden’s program, which had to replace eight starters on offense and was picked to finish fifth in the division. It’s a step in the right direction toward national relevance, but it’s still nowhere close to where it needs or wants to be on a national level, as evidenced by three losses to ranked opponents this season.

Brand recognition is important, but don’t misread this label. Florida State and Miami aren’t back. When FSU traveled to Miami earlier this year, the Seminoles beat the Canes 33-20. It was a game filled with mistakes and penalties. Miami had 29 yards rushing on 21 attempts. FSU, meanwhile, racked up 218 rushing yards on Miami’s D.

Even with all that still lies ahead for the Seminoles -- a projected path that now looks like a Discover Orange Bowl win over Louisville (yay?) -- this season will still be remembered for what could have been had the Noles not lost on the road to an average NC State team.

For five years, the ACC championship game was held in the state of Florida, and only once did an ACC team from within the state play there -- the inaugural game in 2005, which is also the last time FSU won an ACC title.

Even in Charlotte, a Florida State-Miami matchup would be the best-case scenario for the overall health and interest of the ACC championship game this year.

It just wouldn’t be the signature game many had originally envisioned.

Florida State had the weekend off, but that didn't stop Jimbo Fisher or his Seminoles from looking ahead.

With three games remaining before an anticipated ACC championship game appearance, FSU has tallied some impressive numbers -- leading the ACC in virtually every significant statistical category. But dig deeper, and there are a few other key stats worth noting as the Seminoles make their final push.

4.4: That's how many passing yards Florida State's defense is allowing per attempt this season, by far the best mark in the country. Only two teams (Clemson and Miami) have averaged less than than 5.0 yards per attempt against the Seminoles' secondary this season, and those numbers could certainly improve going forward. Virginia Tech and Maryland rank ninth and 10th, respectively, in passing in the ACC, and the Terps are down to their fifth quarterback of the season -- a converted linebacker. Florida State also ends its season with Florida, which is last in the SEC in passing.

179.8: That's the difference in yards per game at home for Florida State vs. what the Seminoles are averaging on the road -- the sixth-largest disparity in the country. FSU has outscored its five home opponents by an average score of 54-9 this season. On the road, however, it's a much closer 26-18 margin. Given that two of the next three are away from home, Fisher needs to find a way to ensure the dominance FSU enjoys at Doak Campbell can carry over to the road, too.

23.08: That's the percentage of third downs Florida State's opponents have converted this season, the best percentage in the country and the best rate by any team in at least eight years. Meanwhile, the Seminoles' offense has converted 45.5 percent of its third-down chances, which ranks second among ACC teams this season.

6.57: That's the average yards per rush for Florida State's ground game this season, factoring out yardage lost to sacks. Oregon is the only team in the nation has averaged more yards per rush, and it's been a group effort for FSU. Injured starting tailback Chris Thompson led the way with 7.5 yards per carry, but Devonta Freeman (7.4), Lonnie Pryor (6.5), EJ Manuel (6.4) and James Wilder Jr. (5.9) are all among the ACC leaders.

0: That's the number of times Florida State has held a three-game winning streak against both Miami and Florida concurrently. That could change with a win over the Gators this year, and it would push Fisher to a perfect 7-0 against in-state rivals (including a win over USF). A victory over Florida would also provide FSU a marquee win, helping earn some national respect in a down ACC.