The ACC has had a marquee national win in each of the first two weekends, with Clemson beating Georgia in Week 1 and Miami taking down Florida in Week 2.
This week, the opportunity exists for another big win as Boston College travels cross-country to take on USC, whose offense has been horrendous this season.
On the flipside, the ACC also has to worry about one of its better programs suffering an upset when Virginia Tech travels to East Carolina.
Here's a look at all the games involving ACC teams this week, ranked from worst to best:
*8. Wagner at Syracuse, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN3 *
Rating: 0 stars
The skinny: Wagner has played one FBS foe in its history, falling 7-3 to a bad Florida Atlantic team last season. But Wagner also made the FCS playoffs last fall, when speedy RB Dominique Williams (5-foot-9, 205 pounds) ran for 1,338 yards. Syracuse's rushing attack needs to come to life.
7. Nevada at Florida State, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Rating: 1 star
The skinny: Nevada QB Cody Fajardo, the Wolf Pack's best player, has an injured knee and may not play. All eyes will be on FSU QB Jameis Winston, who had a magnificent debut against Pitt on Labor Day night. Will he light it up again? FSU should move the ball at will.
6. New Mexico at Pittsburgh, Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ACC syndication/ESPN GamePlan
Rating: 1 star
The skinny: New Mexico RB Kasey Carrier (5-9, 185) ran for 1,469 yards last season and leads the nation with 345 this season. He doesn't have breakaway speed, but he is a tough, physical runner who can handle a heavy workload. But the Lobos don't have much else. An interesting individual matchup: New Mexico C Dillon Farrell (6-5, 300) vs. Pitt DTs Aaron Donald (6-0, 285) and Tyrone Ezell (6-4, 305). Farrell is one of the best offensive linemen in the Mountain West Conference. Pitt has good receivers and tight ends, but QB Tom Savage has to prove he can get it to them on a consistent basis.
5. Louisiana-Monroe at Wake Forest, Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ACC syndication/ESPN GamePlan
Rating: 2 stars
The skinny: ULM has more career starts among its players than any team in the nation. But will that help the Warhawks beat the Demon Deacons? Wake's rushing attack has been a huge disappointment and has to get untracked. Wake WR Michael Campanaro (5-11, 190) vs. ULM FS Isaiah Newsome (5-11, 200) is a good individual matchup. ULM needs a big game from senior QB Kolton Browning (6-1, 211).
*4. Maryland at Connecticut, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3 *
Rating: 2 stars
The skinny: Maryland coach Randy Edsall goes against his former employer for the second consecutive season; UConn beat the Terps last season. Terps QB CJ. Brown and a receiving corps headed by sophomore Stefon Diggs should prove too much for UConn. Huskies LB Yawin Smallwood (6-4, 236) is a big-timer stuck on a bad team.
3. Georgia Tech at Duke, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Rating: 2 stars
The skinny: Tech was won nine in a row in this series. Duke's run defense is a question, and that's not good when facing Tech's triple-option offense. Duke starting QB Anthony Boone is out for up to eight weeks with a broken collarbone; his replacement, Brandon Connette, is a good runner, which means touted Tech LB Jabari Hunt-Days (6-3, 247) should be busy. This is the ACC opener for both.
2. Virginia Tech at East Carolina, Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
Rating: 3 stars
The skinny: Virginia Tech's offense hasn't played well this season. NFL scouts again will closely watch Hokies QB Logan Thomas (6-6, 254), who has all the needed physical tools but hasn't played well since the 2011 season. ECU WR Justin Hardy (6-0, 186) will test Virginia Tech CBs Kendall and Kyle Fuller. ECU QB Shane Carden (6-2, 218) has thrown for 638 yards and seven TDs this season, and can raise his stock with a good game against a solid defense. East Carolina is without two starting linebackers
1. Boston College at USC, Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Rating: 3.5 stars
The skinny: This suddenly has some intrigue because of USC's offensive ineptitude. BC senior Chase Rettig (6-3, 206) is from the L.A. area and might be the best quarterback on the field. Senior WR Alex Amidon (6-0, 182) will be a test for USC's cornerbacks. Keep an eye on USC's pass rush; BC senior OTs Matt Patchan (6-6, 300) and Ian White (6-5, 302) need to make sure USC senior OLBs Devon Kennard (6-3, 255) and Morgan Breslin (6-2, 250) don't wreak havoc in the backfield. BC RB Andre Williams (6-0, 229) is fourth in the nation in rushing at 159 yards per game; he's a physical between-the-tackles guy.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
