:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27041611/20140113_kkt_ai8_001.0.jpg)
Call it Big Saturday, because there are some key games today.
Florida State gets a rematch with Virginia after getting whipped at home by the Cavs. Both teams are sitting at 3-1 in the conference.
Carolina is unexpectedly desperate at 0-3; a loss to BC (and BC is ahead of UNC in the standings) would be disastrous.
State visits Duke with a certain amount of woofing, but in essence, you have two young teams looking to climb the standings, and that makes for drama.
Miami has played very well indeed for coach Jim Larranaga who, as the old cliche goes, is truly getting the most out of his team.
Wake Forest visits Clemson with both teams rebuilding. Clemson has the advantage, but Wake is going to have to win a road game soon to keep momentum. Littlejohn is not a fun place to try that.
Finally, Pitt and Syracuse tangle at 4:00. With both newbies at 4-0, the winner obviously is in the driver's seat, at least for a bit. Clemson has a chance to stake a claim to second place and either Florida State and Virginia will be there too.
Keep in mind that Pitt has to overcome a season-ending injury to Durand Johnson. Our money is on Syracuse here.
One of the things that has always characterized this conference is competitive desperation: even though it's still early, no one wants to be left behind. Which is why you can't rule Boston College out. Just 5-12, the Eagles have talent and pride.
On the other side, the Heels are 0-3 and that's not common in Chapel Hill. You can't rule anything out, but coming back from 0-4 (much less 0-7 overall) to do anything meaningful is really hard.