Gameday Central: Florida State at Wake Forest

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

Florida State (3-0) at Wake Forest (2-2)

Watch: ESPN, WatchESPN 3:30 PM ET

Listen: 'Nole Radio Networks, Demon Deacon Radio Networks

Weather: First, the good news. The game is not being canceled because of a powerful hurricane. It appears that Joaquin will head out to sea, missing the eastern seaboard. Now, the bad news. A stalled cold front, interacting with tropical moisture, is squeezing months worth of rain on the Carolinas and the east coast in a matter of days. But, with some luck, the game in Winston-Salem might avoid the worst of it. The hourly forecast currently calls for a 20 percent or less chance of rain for most of the game. Still, bring your ponchos. Temperature will hover around 60 degrees. Winds will be strong, NNE at 19 MPH.

The Spread: Florida State opened as an 18 point favorite which has been bumped to 20.

Game Coverage: Wake Forest Preview and Podcast, Opponent Q&A, Mario Pender Injury, North Carolina Craft Beer Scene

The Florida State offense has numerous issues. Chances to work the kinks out are running out. After Wake, the schedule gets much harder. There will be a reshuffling of the offensive line today. If Florida State struggles, will there be a change at QB too? It's likely there are no easy answers or mid-season fixes that will get the offense to perform a whole lot better. In that case, the team will need to lean on the defense. A lot. Goals: For the QB, make the right checks, keep the ball and run when the defense dictates, check down when needed, don't take silly sacks (really, just ALL the basics), stay healthy, defense - continue to dominate.

Florida State at Wake Forest Game Thread

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter/Halftime

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Other Games:

There's a couple early games worth watching to get your mind right. West Virginia travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma. The Sooners are a TD favorite at home. But West Virginia is fresh off a beat down of Maryland. Oklahoma's only real test was a narrow escape against Tennessee. Should be a fun game, the winner keeping conference championship hopes alive.

In the ACC, Louisville travels to NC State. Louisville has been tested early, A LOT, resulting in a 1-3 record. The Wolfpack are 4-0 but have yet to play an ACC game and their out of conference schedule is atrocious. Louisville is a 4 point dog. You have to watch this game, since FSU plays both of them.

Pitt, off a loss to Iowa, travels to VT, fresh off a loss to East Carolina. Florida State does not play either of these teams in the regular season. Really, the only reason to watch is pure morbid curiosity.

Plenty of ranked goodness in the evening games. Florida managed to sneak into the 25 after Tennessee head coach Butch Jones decided he doesn't like wins, and handed the Gators a late victory. Ole Miss SHOULDN'T have a problem with UF's offensive line. However, after the upset win against Bama, Ole Miss won a sloppy game against Vandy. This is your weekly reminder, there are no GREAT teams this year and anything is possible.

Mississippi State remains ranked. Their best 'win' was against Auburn. No, that really doesn't mean anything anymore. Their 2 point loss against LSU might be more valuable. Texas A&M will try to knock them out of the polls. The Aggies won late against Arkansas when the Hawgs head coach Bret Bielema decided that he was also allergic to winning.

Finally, a chance for the ACC to gain some respect. Clemson just has to beat Notre Dame, a semi-kinda-everything-but-football, member of the ACC. The game opened even, with Clemson now the slight 2 point favorite. Flip a coin. Despite numerous injuries, Ntore Dame has rolled. We'll see how mentally prepared they are for the road game in Death Valley (Clemson version).

It's still early in the season. That means FSU is still in it to win it. Make sure you are cheering for the right teams to fail miserably. Like gambling? Of course you do. Check out this week's best bets.

Week 5 Games, Times, and Networks: