Miami (7-4) at NC State (5-6)

North Carolina State completed its four-game sweep of the state schools with a resounding 41-10 thrashing of North Carolina.

The Wolfpack knocked off East Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest as well as the Tar Heels, meaning that as far as college football goes in North Carolina, Tom O'Brien's crew earned the championship letterman jackets.

More to the point, it kept its own bowl hopes alive.

The victory gives the Wolfpack a 5-6 record and a three-game win streak. Beating Miami in the regular-season finale Saturday would leave the team bowl-eligible at 6-6, and though the ACC may have more eligible teams than it does bowl tie-ins, N.C. State's strong finish means it would almost certainly be selected.

The Wolfpack did nothing to hurt its standing with the bowl scouts with its most dominating performance of the season, a 31-point thrashing of the ranked Tar Heels on the road. N.C. State forced six turnovers, including fumbles on North Carolina's first two possessions. Though the Wolfpack managed just three points on those two drives, it then took the ball 97 yards down the field and got in the end zone for a 10-0 lead.

North Carolina cut it to 10-3 at halftime. The Wolfpack made it 17-3 with 9:43 to play in the third quarter, but North Carolina came right back and cut the lead to a touchdown again at 17-10. With less than 22 minutes remaining, it was anybody's ballgame.

Then came what turned out to be the play of the day. The Wolfpack worked the ball down to the North Carolina 28-yard line but faced a fourth-and-2 situation. N.C. State went for it, and Russell Wilson completed an 8-yard pass for the first down. The Wolfpack went on to score to make it a 24-10 game.

The Wolfpack then forced a fumble on the kickoff and scored on the next play. By then it was 31-10, and the game was effectively over.

Now, it all comes down to the matchup with Miami, a game that will ultimately make or break the North Carolina State season.

Clemson (5-5) at Virginia (5-5)

Virginia has no shortage of incentives heading into its home finale against Clemson (5-5, 3-4 ACC) on Saturday in Scott Stadium.

A victory would make the Cavaliers (5-5, 3-3) bowl eligible. Virginia is also still barely alive for a shot at the Coastal Division title.

It needs Georgia Tech to beat Miami on Thursday night and then victories in its final two games against the Tigers and Virginia Tech to have a shot, but even then it would require extra help.

That's why instead of focusing on the standings, the Cavaliers, losers of two in a row, said they want to beat Clemson so they can send the team's seniors out of Scott Stadium on a high note.

For that to happen, the Cavaliers must avoid the mistakes that plagued them in back-to-back losses to Miami and Wake Forest before their bye week.

Virginia sat on top of the Coastal Division after four straight victories, but was undone by penalties and turnovers against the Hurricanes and Demon Deacons.

Players said that can't happen if they want to appear in head coach Al Groh's sixth bowl game in eight seasons.

But even a victory doesn't guarantee a bowl game. Eight ACC teams are already bowl eligible, while Virginia and Clemson are one win away and North Carolina State and Duke are two victories shy. The conference has nine bowl tie-ins this season.

NC State (4-6) at UNC (7-3)

With two games left in the regular season and a division title still in the picture, North Carolina is opening up the competition at quarterback.

T.J. Yates, who broke his ankle in the third game of the season, and Cam Sexton, who took over the starting job and led the Tar Heels to a five wins in seven games, will compete for the starting job as the Heels (7-3, 3-3 ACC) get ready to host North Carolina State.

Coach Butch Davis said the decision was reached after a couple of staff meetings following the loss to Maryland. In that game Sexton threw one touchdown pass but also dropped a fumble on a run and threw an interception on Carolina's final offensive play. He completed only 10 of 24 passes for 166 yards -- 59 on one play.

He had two interceptions in the loss to Virginia.

Yates completed 41-of-69 passes with only one interception and had the Heels ahead of Virginia Tech when he was injured. He was able to get back onto the practice field on a limited basis following the team's open date on Nov. 1 but now is able to take part fully in practice.

Despite their loss to Maryland, the Tar Heels remain in the race for the Coastal Division's berth in the ACC Championship game, though they obviously need some help.

Miami leads the division with a 4-2 mark but must go on the road for its final two games against Georgia Tech and Boston College.

The Heels have the tiebreaker over the Hurricanes in the event of a two-way tie involving those two teams, and they also hold the advantage in a two-team tie with Georgia Tech. The Heels also need Virginia and Virginia Tech also to lose one more game to get to Tampa for the title game.

The game against the Wolfpack is the home finale for the Heels. They end the regular season at Duke.

Tennessee (3-7) at Vanderbilt (6-4)

That 26-year-old gorilla is finally off Vanderbilt's back.

Now that the Commodores have posted that elusive sixth win and are assured of a bowl bid, they have a different kind of pressure on them. Instead of playing just to get to a bowl, they're now playing to ascend up the bowl ladder.

A victory in their last home game of 2008 Saturday against 3-7 Tennessee will assure Vandy of a winning season, as well as give it a chance to get to a second-tier bowl. Of course, any bowl will be fine with this bunch after not playing in one since 1982.

For a change, one of those areas isn't on offense. After scoring 14 or fewer points in five straight games, four of which were losses, Vandy exploded for 31 points and 368 total yards against Kentucky.

Points and yardage might be tougher to accrue against a Tennessee defense that isn't the reason for that proud program's worst season. Led by strong safety Eric Berry, the defense has had just one bad game out of 10.

But the Vols' offense has been hideous, thanks in large part to bad quarterback play. A surprisingly weak effort from a highly touted offensive line hasn't helped. It's hard to see the Commodores' stout defense allowing much in the way of points and yards against this crowd.

If Vandy can come close to last week's offensive output and clean up the special-teams errors which have haunted it the last two games, it should have a good crack at its seventh win.

Duke (4-5) at Clemson (4-5)

Duke isn't quite out of the postseason picture yet, but if the Blue Devils are to get to the six-win level required for bowl eligibility, they pretty much need to bag the Clemson Tigers in the first of back-to-back road games.

The Devils (4-5, 1-4 ACC) have only a slim hope at best of gaining a split of their final two games against Virginia Tech and North Carolina, and a sweep of those two would be a Herculean task for a team that has only one ACC victory over the last four seasons.

Thus, Clemson remains a last, desperate gasp for the Blue Devils.

Even if they don't win either of their remaining two games, beating the Tigers would write a more satisfactory end to what has been a season of rejuvenation for the Devils.

With four victories, Duke has its most wins since the 2003 team also won four games. A fifth win would give the Devils their most wins in any season since 1994, when they were 8-4 and made their last bowl appearance.

A fifth victory also would keep the Devils from ending the year on a five-game losing streak. They have lost their last two, one in overtime at Wake Forest, one to a North Carolina State team that was winless in ACC play coming in.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

LB Michael Tauiliili -- The senior leads the ACC in tackles with an average of 11 stops per game (99 total) after registering 18 tackles in the loss to N.C. State. He also has two interceptions and has recovered one fumble and forced three.

LB Vincent Rey -- Right behind Tauiliili in tackles is Rey with 77, including eight and a half for losses (two sacks). Rey also has a interception and a 37-yard return of a fumble recovery.

WR Aaron Kelly -- Kelly, who holds the school record for career receptions, is closing in on the conference record in that category and also is nearing the Clemson record for receiving yards. He needs 10 more catches to pass Desmond Clark of Wake Forest, who had 216, for the ACC mark and 225 yards to surpass the school receiving mark of 2,861 yards held by Terry Smith.

QB Cullen Harper -- Harper needs just 56 more yards passing to hit the 5,000-yard level for his career. With 10 completions, he will move into second place in the school list ahead of Woody Dantzler in that category.

Georgia (8-2) at Auburn (5-5)

Last year, minutes before the game was to kickoff, the Georgia players peeled off their red jerseys and emerged onto the field in black, igniting a crowd that rallied behind coach Mark Richt's motivational ploy.

It worked, as Georgia romped to a 45-20 victory in Athens over Auburn.

This year, Auburn (5-5, 2-4 SEC West) hosts No. 13 Georgia (8-2, 5-2 SEC East). And while there is not talk of motivational ploys, the Tigers have not forgotten.

With a month-long losing streak over, Auburn prepares to finish the season with quite a challenge: the preseason No. 1 team, Georgia, followed by the current No. 1 team, Alabama.

At stake could be a bowl berth as well as the future of the coaching staff, which has come under fire for the way this season has played out.

Tuberville said he believes Auburn University President Jay Gogue's public statements that the football program would be reviewed by Athletic Director Jay Jacobs at the end of the season.

Georgia Tech (7-2) at North Carolina (6-2)

North Carolina is bowl eligible for the first time since 2004, but the Tar Heels will be hoping for more in the final month of the regular season.

After taking a break to rest up from some bumps and bruises, the Heels (6-2, 2-2 ACC) will take on Georgia Tech on Nov. 8 to begin a stretch of four consecutive games that could land them in the ACC Championship game if certain things fall right.

At the top of that list, of course, is a 4-0 finish by the Tar Heels.

That would make them 6-2 in league play and likely get them a tie for first in the ACC Coastal Division.

The key for the Heels when it comes to title game consideration is which team or teams they likely would be tied with.

Frankly, not many scenarios favor the Heels. Because of losses to Virginia and Virginia Tech, the Heels would lose out in the tiebreaker in a two-way deadlock with either of them. Same goes with a three-way tie involving the two teams from the Commonwealth.

On the other hand, the Heels do have the advantage in a two-way tie with Miami because of their comeback victory over the Hurricanes.

If there is a three-way involving Miami and one of the Virginia teams, however, the tie-breaker comes down to the head-to-head records of games involving those teams only, which likely would be 1-1 for each.

The next tie-breaker is division record, and the Heels would be 3-2 while Miami would be 4-1 if it wins its four conference games in November. The best Virginia could be in division play if it loses to Miami is 3-2.

Of course, all bets are off if Carolina loses a third league game. In addition to Georgia Tech at home, the Tar Heels have Maryland and Duke on the road and North Carolina State at home left on the schedule.

Georgia (7-2) at Kentucky (6-3)

The Georgia Bulldogs, the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, were exposed again Saturday in a 49-10 humiliation by Florida. They are a very good team, but the Bulldogs cannot be called a great team.

Great teams do not commit four turnovers and miss two relatively short field goals, not on the biggest stage it might reach this season.

Georgia outgained Florida 398 to 373 yards, but it was the Gators who delivered all the big plays. Now the Bulldogs would need a miracle to win the SEC East.

Easier said than done.

The future of Kentucky football went live in Saturday's big win at Mississippi State.

Freshman Randall Cobb made plays at quarterback, wide receiver and as a punt returner, and a freshman wide receiver blocked a potential game-tying extra point to preserve a 14-13 win for the Wildcats.

Some upperclassmen did their part as well. Senior tailback Tony Dixon had his best game of the season. The vast majority of Dixon's 66 yards came in the second half, helping Kentucky overcome a halftime deficit.

Senior corner back Robbie McAtee secured the victory with a late interception, helping Kentucky become bowl eligible for a third straight season.

The Wildcats, who have won the last two Music City Bowls, will try to enhance their resume when Georgia visits Commonwealth Stadium Saturday.

Auburn (4-4) at Ole Miss (4-4)

Two 4-4 teams find themselves fighting for bowl eligibility, and with Tennessee-Martin next, followed by Georgia and Alabama, it would seem to make this game a "must win" for the Tigers to have any chance of going bowling. Ole Miss is last in the SEC in pass defense, and Auburn is 11th in pass offense. Expect the Tigers to continue to try to get a running game going as the offensive line re-converts back to power football after a 10-month dalliance with the spread.

Defense has been the strength of the Auburn team all year — at least until now.

The Auburn defense gave up 31 unanswered points in the second half of a 34-17 loss at West Virginia last week. Now, Auburn (4-4, 2-3 SEC West) goes to Ole Miss (4-4, 2-3 SEC West) to try to salvage what is left of a season in which the Tigers never had much traction in the strong-shall-survive SEC.

Auburn fans have been extremely unhappy with busted pass coverage and slipshod tackling, as the heat continues to get turned up on the coaching staff.

The most popular theory going is that head coach Tommy Tuberville's job can be salvaged if he's willing to overhaul his staff, including a core group that has been with him for all 10 years he's been at Auburn.

To try to turn this season around, Tuberville, who for different reasons changed out both coordinators since the end of last regular season, has had the first-team offense go against the first-team defense for nearly an hour each practice early in the week.

The Rebels have been outstanding on the road this year, winning twice and losing heartbreakers at Wake Forest and No. 2 Alabama.

But Ole Miss has been disappointing in Oxford. The Rebels are 2-2 at home and have yet to beat a visiting SEC opponent.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Kodi Burns — Has been firmly established as the starter by Tommy Tuberville, regardless of how he performs. Burns has a very slim playbook to choose from, and the emphasis is on execution. Tuberville will apparently go with Burns the rest of the season, no matter what happens

RB Brad Lester — Could have a bigger role in the offense over the last month of the season. He carried the ball 13 times against West Virginia, his most rushes since the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

DT Peria Jerry — He is the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for the second time after making five tackles and getting two sacks against Arkansas. He has nine tackles for loss this season.

WR Shay Hodge — The junior is tied for the SEC lead with six TD catches and ranks first in yards per catch (19.3). Hodge has hauled in four catches with a TD in each of the last two outings.

Miami (5-3) at Virginia (5-3)

The Hurricanes are looking to avenge last year's embarrassing 48-0 loss in their final contest in the historic Orange Bowl. They're on a three-game winning streak. The Cavaliers have won four straight.

After Virginia lost 31-3 to Duke on Sept. 27, not many took Cavaliers head coach Al Groh for his word that there were plenty of positives to talk about.

But one month later, it's been proven that loss was actually the turning point in Virginia's remarkable turnaround.

The Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1 ACC) have won all four of their games since the Duke debacle, giving credence to the team's position after the loss that great strides were made.

They now sit in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC, and they can think back on the Duke loss as where it all began.

Groh, whose team hosts Miami (5-3, 2-2) on Saturday, said there weren't "any fuzzy feelings" after the Duke loss, but if one just looked at the game film, it wasn't as bad as it appeared.

He said several key players began progressing and that the Cavaliers' six turnovers made the score more lopsided than it should've been.

The Cavaliers haven't had many bad plays of late. They're coming off a 24-17 road victory over Georgia Tech and they're feeling good about themselves with the Hurricanes set to visit Charlottesville for homecoming on Saturday.

The trip to Virginia is one of three remaining road tests for the Hurricanes. After the Cavaliers, they are home against Virginia Tech on Nov. 13 and then finish the regular season at Georgia Tech and at North Carolina State.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

RT Will Barker — He is finally on track. The junior got off to a rocky start, but was outstanding in the Cavaliers' win over Georgia Tech. His efforts earned him ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors.

WR Maurice Covington — He is now thriving as well. The Cavaliers' receiving corps has already accumulated more catches and yards than all of last season and Covington's emergence is one of the primary reasons. Seventeen of his 21 receptions have gone for first downs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

WR Travis Benjamin — Benjamin is third on the team in catches but leads in touchdown receptions with three. He is a threat in the return game also, averaging better than 12 yards a try on punts (with a long of 44) and nearly 25 yards (long of 57) running back kickoffs.

WR Aldarius Johnson — Johnson leads Miami in receptions with 22 with two of the grabs good for touchdowns. He has made several catches in clutch situations in Miami's modest three-game winning streak. A true freshman, he has started the last five games.