Wake Forest's trip to NC State in search of a 5-1 start headlines the ACC weekly slate

Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:

Wake Forest (4-1, 2-1 ACC) at N.C. State (3-2, 1-1), Saturday, noon ET (The CW)

The Demon Deacons are coming off a 57-3 win against Stanford that marked the program's biggest margin of victory in a league game. Their lone loss came against No. 4 Miami and they're hovering just outside the AP Top 25 poll. Now they have a chance for a third road win against a power-conference opponent in this renewal of the long-running instate series.

The Wolfpack's journey has been wild in recent weeks. There was a shocking loss at Vanderbilt when a last-second lost fumble turned an almost-certain win into a crushing setback, a home win against Appalachian State despite blowing a 21-point lead and then holding off Louisville at home.

North Carolina (2-2, 0-1) at No. 25 Pittsburgh (5-0, 2-0), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)

The Panthers hopped into the AP Top 25 after last week's win at Virginia Tech, while coach Pat Narduzzi then stuck up for the league in questioning why there's only three ranked teams. The more pressing concern, though, is adjusting to the loss of quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending knee injury last week. Auburn transfer Holden Gernier took over and now is set to face a UNC team coming off a loss to No. 3 Notre Dame.

Florida State (3-2, 1-1) at Louisville (2-3, 1-2), Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Seminoles looked sharp in rolling past Virginia 38-7 last week, earning a second win since a high-scoring loss at now-No. 6 Alabama. This week starts a two-game road swing, first against a previously ranked Louisville team followed by a trip to Miami. As for the Cardinals, a season that began with going toe-to-toe with then-No. 9 Mississippi in a close loss has now seen consecutive three-point losses to Wake Forest and N.C. State.

— Duke QB Walker Eget. Nate Sheppard is leading the country in rushing (161.0 yards per game) to power the Blue Devils offense as they emerge from an open week. That's where Duke needs the San Jose State graduate transfer to step up and help ease some of the burden on Sheppard. Eget has thrown for six touchdowns with one interception in the last three games leading into Saturday's trip to Georgia Tech.

— Virginia Tech QB Ethan Grunkemeyer. The junior transfer from Penn State threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to Pitt, and has cracked the 300-yard mark through the air in three of five games. The Hokies head west Saturday to face California.

Stanford's offense is sputtering in its first year under Tavita Pritchard. The Cardinal is ranked last in the ACC in scoring (17.4) and next to last in total offense (339.6) entering Saturday's trip to Notre Dame. ... Syracuse visits Virginia on Saturday night, which will mark the Orange's first trip to Charlottesville since an overtime loss in October 2015. The teams have played just twice since Syracuse joined the league for the 2014 season. ... North Carolina's 26 points in the loss to Notre Dame marked their second-best output against a Bowl Subdivision foe in Bill Belichick's two seasons. The high was 27 points against Syracuse last year. ... No. 4 Miami, No. 24 SMU, Clemson and Boston College don't play this week.

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FILE - Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi argues a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Miami, Nov. 29, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:

No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) at No. 6 Alabama (5-0, 3-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Two of the SEC’s three remaining unbeaten teams meet in a matchup that historically carries title implications, either in the SEC or the national version.

Georgia’s biggest challenge of the early season came in the form of a 38-14 win against Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs snapped a first quarter tie and scored 17 unanswered points in the second half. A Georgia offense led by Gunner Stockton has outscored its five opponents by a combined 190 points.

Alabama has found its spark under sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell, who has the third-best quarterback rating in the Bowl Subdivision while throwing for 1,414 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushing 184 yards and three scores.

Alabama comes off its biggest test of the season so far against Mississippi State – which it passed with flying colors — and a 56-23 win.

A battle between the SEC’s two highest-scoring teams could be a rainy affair depending on the path of Tropical Storm Isaias. Alabama was a 1 1/2-point favorite at midweek.

No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0) vs. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Oklahoma hasn’t lived up to expectations this season, but the Red River Rivalry remains worth the watch.

The Sooners and quarterback John Mateer will look to get back on track after a 41-13 loss to Georgia in Week 4. Texas is coming off a 20-17 win at Tennessee followed by a bye week of its own.

Texas thumped Oklahoma last year 23-6 and is favored in this one. Neither offense is firing on all cylinders and the Sooners will need to protect Mateer from Texas pass-rusher extraordinaire Colin Simmons.

— Austin Simmons: The Missouri quarterback led the Tigers to a 45-17 win over Florida with a 340-yard, two-touchdown performance. He averaged 11.3 yards per pass while completing 76.7 percent of his throws and extended drives by converting 7-of-13 third-down attempts.

–- Jamal Roberts: The Missouri running back also played a large role in the statement-making win over the Gators with 24 carries for 211 yards and three scores. The Tigers were the biggest riser in this week’s AP Top 25, moving up 11 spots and knocking Florida down eight spots to No. 16.

—- Dejuan Lane: The Tennessee safety had a team-high 9 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, two sacks and a critical third-quarter interception that led to a touchdown drive, helping the Vols to a 24-14 win against Auburn.

Three unbeaten SEC teams remain: Alabama, Georgia and Texas. ... Georgia’s average of 51.4 points per game tops the SEC. … Texas has held its opponents to a conference-low 13.3 points per game, while Georgia closely follows (13.4). … LSU’s Princewill Umanmielen passed Colin Simmons on the leaderboard during the Longhorns’ week off, reclaiming the FBS lead with eight sacks. ...Kamario Taylor tops the SEC in passing yards (1,450) and ranks sixth nationally. … Taylor also leads the FBS in passing touchdowns with 17. ... Florida’s Jadan Baugh boasts an FBS-high 66 points this season.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

Georgia running back Dwight Phillips Jr. (20) high-fives running back Bo Walker (24) after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)