ACC Week 2 Preview: Final Miami-Florida Showdown Highlight of the Weekend

Aug 30, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Stephen Morris (17) throws a pass against the Florida Atlantic Owls during the first quarter at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Week 1 of the 2013 college football season showed a lot of bright spots in the ACC. The Clemson Tigers announced themselves as a legitimate contender in the nation with–what some would consider–an upset victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, vaulting them into the top 5 in the country. The Florida State Seminoles introduced their newest toy in phenomenal redshirt freshman QB Jameis Winston by giving Pitt a harsh welcome to the conference.

Week 2 in the ACC might not be as lucrative as last week, however it’s headlined by, what could be, the final installment of a brutal in-state rivalry.

Miami vs. Florida, Noon ET on ESPN: The Hurricanes and Gators will meet in Sunlife Stadium on Saturday in what could be the final edition of one of the fiercest rivalries in college football. Both squads walked away with wins last week and are now ready for each’s first national challenge. The ‘Canes are going to be tasked with stopping a powerful Florida running game, while the Gators will have to find a way to contain the explosive tandem of Duke Johnson and Stephen Morris.

Clemson vs. South Carolina State, 12:30 PM ET on MSG+ : The Tigers are coming off their second consecutive victory over an SEC team following their impressive showing against Georgia last Saturday night. Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and the rest of the Clemson team showed that their preseason national hype was real and should have an easy time putting this one to bed early.

North Carolina vs. Middle Tennessee State, 1230 PM ET on ACC Network: QB Bryn Renner and the Tar Heels opened up their 2013 slate last Thursday night with a tough loss to South Carolina. But with the loss against the SEC power out of the way, it’s now time for Carolina to start that charge toward the division title that they lost out on last year by being ineligible.

Virginia Tech vs. Western Carolina, 1:30 PM ET on ESPN3: The Hokies put up the best fight they could last weekend against the Alabama Crimson Tide, but were ultimately taken care of handily. QB Logan Thomas showed that there are still issues with his game that need clearing up, and he should get the opportunity to work on those against the Catamounts of the FCS.

Virginia vs. Oregon, 3:30 PM ET on ABC or ESPN2: Virginia started out their 2013 campaign by sneaking out a close victory over the BYU Cougars last Saturday. But now, they have one of the stiffest tests of any team this week when they welcome QB Marcus Mariota, RB De’Anthony Thomas and the speedy Oregon Ducks to Charlottesville. Here’s hoping that head coach Mike London made this week’s practices very defense heavy.

Maryland vs. Old Dominion, 4PM ET on ESPN News: Not having to play a linebacker at quarterback proved wonders for the Terrapins. Led by the return of CJ Brown at the QB slot, the Terps showed tremendous offensive strength last week against FIU. The receiving tandem of Stefon Diggs and Deon Long looks like it’s shaping up to be one of the best in the nation, and should further validate that theory this week against ODU.

Duke vs. Memphis, 4:30 PM ET on ESPN3: Head coach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils enjoyed their first shutout in 24 years last week and are poised to start this season at 2-0 against a Memphis squad that’s still trying to find its identity. Anthony Boone certainly looked like the answer at QB and this team will be fun to watch progress as the season goes on.

NC State vs. Richmond, 6PM ET on ESPN3: The Dave Doeren era got off to a bit of an unfortunate start as the Wolfpack lost their starting QB, Arkansas transfer Brandon Mitchell, for about 4-6 weeks. The NC State offensive reins now belong solely to Pete Thomas and his era begins tomorrow against the Spiders.

Syracuse vs. Northwestern, 6PM ET on Big Ten Network: The Orange are coming off a tough opening loss to Penn State, a loss in which this squad showed it needs to improve vastly on offense. Northwestern, on the other hand, notched themselves a big win last weekend against Cal on the road. With a Wildcats team that looks well on their way to possibly contending in the Big Ten, the Orange could be off to a quick 0-2 start in 2013.

Authors Note: At the time of this post, the Boston College Eagles have just defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by a final score of 24-10.