With the ACC automatic BCS bid now off the table after then-No.11 Florida State's 50-44 double overtime victory over North Carolina State last weekend, the race for No. 2 could become a crowded one. With a Georgia Tech win at Virginia and an North Carolina State victory over Maryland this Saturday, four teams would each have three league losses --- Maryland, N.C. State, Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Heading into the weekend with sole possession of second place, Maryland (7-3, 4-2 ACC) controls their own destiny with respect to a bid to play on New Year's day at the Gator Bowl. The only ACC team with two losses thanks to an unblemished 6-0 home record, the Terrapins have two conference roadblocks between them and Jacksonville.
The Terps first obstacle is N.C. State (7-4, 4-3 ACC). Led by long-shot Heisman candidate quarterback Phillip Rivers, the Wolfpack have won four of five since starting the year a mediocre 3-3. They lead the ACC in total offense (442.2 yards per game) and scoring (37.2 points per game).
Saturday's game will mark Rivers' 50th --- and final in the regular season --- collegiate start. He opened his senior season amid a barrage of hype and Heisman hopes, but dropped from serious contention after his team's fourth loss, which came at the hands of the Seminoles.
Team record aside, Rivers has undoubtedly been the best quarterback in the ACC. He leads the conference in passing (340 ypg), completion percentage (.723) and touchdowns (29), while throwing only six interceptions. To N.C. State coach Chuck Amato, Rivers deserves consideration as the best player in the country.
"He brought the name N.C. State to the forefront," Amato said after reflecting on his quarterback's importance to the program. "The Heisman was originally meant to be for the best football player in America. But the definition has been redefined recently -- it's now the best player on one of the five or six best teams in the country, so it leaves everybody else out."
The Terrapins charge into Raleigh knowing that they still have to face both the Wolfpack and Wake Forest before the close of the season. But Maryland is currently on a high from last week's triumphant victory over Virginia.
Playing in front of a frenzied crowd and a national television audience, Maryland was all business. They steamrolled to a 24-7 first half lead over Virginia and never looked back, beating the Cavaliers 27-17.
Sophomore running back Josh Allen had eclipsed his career high for rushing yards by halftime en route to a stellar 257 yard night on 38 carries, another career best. Allen, who also scored two touchdowns against Virginia, was named the ACC Offensive Back of the Week, an honor shared with N.C. State's Rivers.
Leading the Terrapin defense against the Cavaliers was 6'4", 312 pounds. junior Randy Starks, who received ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors to go along with Allen's offensive award.
"Our defense has to play well," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgren said. "But we have to put a total game together. [N.C. State] is going to score points, and you're going to have to score with them if you want to win."
Friedgren's squad anticipates a challenge. Facing Rivers, a quarterback that Florida State coach Bobby Bowdwen called the "best he's ever seen," in what could be his last collegiate game has the potential to be the toughest task the Terp defense has faced thus far.
Throw in the fact that the difference between a win and a loss could be the difference between a late December meeting on the blue turf in Boise and a high profile game to ring in the New Year, and Friedgren's prediction that a shootout will be the only way to walk away with a win is as accurate as a Heisman-worthy arm.
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