No. 16 Duke and No. 4 Florida State meet with clearer path to ACC title game at stake
Florida State defensive back Azareye’h Thomas (20) breaks up a pass intended for Syracuse wide receiver Damien Alford (5) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, who was injured in a game against Notre Dame, looks at the scoreboard from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) fumbles after getting hit by Syracuse defensive back Alijah Clark (5) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Duke’s Aaron Hall (96) pushes past North Carolina State’s Dylan McMahon (54) to pressure quarterback MJ Morris (7) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Duke’s Jordan Moore (8) fails to complete a catch ahead of North Carolina State’s Aydan White (3) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell watches from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Syracuse, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan
No. 4 Florida State hopes to start the second half of its season just like it did the first: by beating a ranked team.
Seven weeks after upsetting then-fifth-ranked LSU in the opener, the Seminoles face their second Top 25 opponent of the season when 16th-ranked Duke visits Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown between two of the three remaining unbeatens in league play.
“At the end of this, someone’s going to have a clearer path to (the ACC title game in) Charlotte than the other one,” Duke coach Mike Elko said. “That’s something that’s critical and that’s not lost on anybody in our locker room. It is an in-league, big stage, big opportunity for our guys to go kind of rise up to and take advantage of.”
The Blue Devils (5-1, 2-0 ACC) upset Clemson in their opener and nearly knocked off Notre Dame three weeks ago. They’re coming off a 24-3 drubbing of North Carolina State and could get quarterback Riley Leonard back from a sprained right ankle
