ESPN College Football

The Seminoles need one win in their final two conference games to clinch the Atlantic Division and a berth in the ACC's inaugural championship game. FSU faces North Carolina State on Saturday, then closes its conference schedule at Clemson on Nov. 12. 'Noles coach Bobby Bowden said his team needs to take care of its business against the Wolfpack at Doak Campbell Stadium. "You better get it done on your field," Bowden said. "You never know what's going to happen on the other guy's field. … There's more risk in our conference now than there's ever been." … FSU is down to three healthy cornerbacks after freshman starter Tony Carter suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the 35-27 win against Maryland. Carter is listed as questionable for the NC State game. If Carter can't play, senior Gerard Ross likely would start. … After holding each of their first four opponents to 17 or fewer points, the Seminoles have given up at least 24 points in their last four games. … Quarterback Wyatt Sexton, who left the team after a bizarre summer incident and was diagnosed with Lyme disease, might be close to returning to practice. Bowden said this week that Sexton has sat in on some team meetings recently. "I think everybody enjoyed having him back out there, and I think everyone enjoyed seeing him out there," Bowden said. "What he's got to do is try to wean himself back in there."

Boston College
Boston College lost pretty much any chance of landing in the ACC championship game in Jacksonville with its 30-10 loss to Virginia Tech. The Seminoles would have to lose their last two conference games and BC would need to win its remaining three. But coach Tom O'Brien said he isn't worried about his team bogging down. "I haven't thought that would be the case. There's still so much for us to accomplish this year. I'm sure there's disappointment that we're out of the ACC race right now, but we know there are still bowl games to accomplish, winning seasons and all those types of things." … Linebacker/fullback Brian Toal has gotten a lot of attention this season for his contributions in BC's goal-line offense, but he's contributing plenty on defense, as well. Against Virginia Tech, Toal tied for the team high with 11 tackles. He has run for six touchdowns and nine first downs on 20 carries.

Clemson
Coach Tommy Bowden hinted that quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, the school record holder with 27 consecutive starts, might not start against Duke because of soreness in his right arm. Whitehurst missed two practices last week because of the problem and struggled during the 10-9 loss to Georgia Tech. He needed to take cortisone shots to get through the Tech game. If Whitehurst doesn't start, junior Will Proctor likely will replace him. Proctor, a former receiver, has played in three games this season and thrown 10 passes. … For the second time this season, the Tigers held an opponent to 10 points and lost. The secondary did a stellar job on Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson, holding the standout receiver to four catches for 47 yards. Last season, Johnson caught three touchdowns against the Tigers. … Freshman tailback James Davis played two snaps against Tech, a little more than two weeks after fracturing his left wrist and undergoing surgery. Davis carried once for a 1-yard gain while playing with a cast to protect the injury. … Clemson remains the only Division I-A team not to have lost a fumble this season.

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