No. 8 Miami crosses country to visit California in ACC weekly slate headliner | National sport

Here's what to see in the Atlantic Coast Conference this week:

Game of the week

No. 8 Miami (5-0, 1-0 ACC) at California (3-1, 0-1), Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Hurricanes are off to their best start since winning the first 10 games of the 2017 season as they embark on a cross-country trip to face the Bears, who are playing their first ACC home game.

Miami survived a wild finish against Virginia Tech last week to join No. 15 Clemson at the top of the battle for the championship title. That puts him behind star quarterback Cam Ward, who leads the Bowl Subdivision leaderboard with 18 touchdown passes and ranks third nationally in passing offense (356.4).

The Bears lost their league debut at Florida State on Sept. 21 and are coming off an open week.

The undercard

Duke (5-0, 1-0) at Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2), Saturday at 8 p.m. (ACC Network)

The Blue Devils are off to their best start since winning the first seven games of the 1994 season, staging a comeback from down 20 to beat rival North Carolina. It was a strong start to Manny Diaz's coaching tenure, especially as Duke came out on top, ranking second in the FBS in tackles for loss (10.4) and eighth in sacks (3.4).

The Yellow Jackets got off to a good start by beating ACC favorite FSU in Ireland and cracking the AP Top 25, but they have since lost at Syracuse and Louisville.

Impact player

Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh. The quarterback, who redshirted at Alabama last season, ranks in the top 25 nationally in total offense (343.8 yards per game/sixth), touchdown passes (12th, 11th) and passer rating (172.3, 15), as far as Saturday's game in North Carolina is concerned.

Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech. The running back has broken the 100-yard rushing mark in four straight games, including 141 yards and a touchdown in last weekend's loss at Miami. The Hokies return to action with a visit to Stanford.

Within the numbers

Twelve of the 17 games in the Pitt-UNC series were decided by single-digit margins. … NC State hosts longtime ACC state foe Wake Forest to extend a series that has been held every year since 1910. The second-longest consecutive streak in the FBS trails only Wisconsin-Minnesota (dating back to 1906). … Wake Forest (1-3) is off to its worst start under 11th-year coach Dave Clawson. … Virginia (3-1) has already matched the total number of wins in its first two seasons in a game against Boston College under Tony Elliott. … Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord leads the country in passing offense (364.8) heading into Friday's game against UNLV.

Fade into the background

The Clemson-FSU game looked like a big game, pitting the preseason favorite Seminoles against the Tigers, who were picked to finish second in the league. But FSU (1-4, 1-3) is just a few points away from being winless in early October, while the Tigers (3-1, 2-0) have bounced back from an ugly season-opening loss to Georgia and now the Take leadership form.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has 173 career wins and can pass the late FSU Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden for the most wins at an ACC school.

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