ESPN College Football

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The scenes flickered across the screen as Jimbo Fisher broke down the film on Sunday, and the Florida State coach breathed a sigh of relief.

The outcomes were just as he'd remembered. Boston College's rather mundane attack gashed the Seminoles' defense again and again, big chunks of yardage adding up to 34 points -- the most BC had scored in an ACC game in nearly four years.

Florida State still escaped with a win, thanks to another dynamic effort from Jameis Winston, but the defense was exposed, and the future schedule promised to be far less forgiving. Fisher assumed the worst, but the film eased his mind.

"I wasn't as distraught as I thought I would be," Fisher said Monday, putting a happy face on an otherwise troubling effort. "It was more two or three individuals that caused all the problems."

There is ample room for big-picture concerns. Players admit to being slow to latch on to the subtleties of new coordinator Jeremy Pruitt's defensive scheme. The aggressive approach has yielded a handful of big plays but also surrendered a few more to the opposition. The Seminoles' performance through four games has fans wondering if disaster looms just over the horizon, as the explosive offenses of Maryland and Clemson await.

Instead, what Fisher saw on film were a few minor glitches -- easily correctable mental errors. A few missed assignments here, a few sets of eyes focused on the wrong things there. Rather than panicking, Florida State's defense seems relieved.

“Those mistakes are going to help you," safety Terrence Brooks said. "It’s bad, but it also can be good for you, too. Those are things you know you’ve got to key in on. It’s just room for improvement.”

That's the upbeat spin. These are the raw numbers: Through four games, Florida State has coughed up 606 yards on the ground, nearly half the total its defense allowed in 14 games last year. Boston College amassed 397 total yards Saturday; only Clemson (2010 and 2011) managed more against FSU since the start of the 2011 season -- and the Tigers' high-flying attack gets its shot against the Seminoles in just three weeks. The defense has started slowly in every game, and as a result, FSU has trailed in three of four games. It's a particularly disconcerting picture given that this week's opponent, Maryland, has topped 500 yards of offense three times, is averaging better than 7 yards per play, has a dual-threat quarterback and one of the ACC's most explosive playmakers in receiver Stefon Diggs.

And yet, Florida State's players insist they're not worried. The fixes aren't physical failures, but rather mental miscues -- a product of new personnel seeing an increased workload, a handful of gimmick plays by the opposition and a continuing adjustment to Pruitt's new scheme.

"We had some little, stupid mental errors in that game -- letting our guys go, trying to do too much and getting out of gaps," Brooks said. "That’s the only reason they were able to get all those points they did get."

It's not an entirely unfair accounting. Two of Boston College's touchdowns came on nearly identical plays, when the offense shifted heavily to one side, then threw the opposite way. FSU's defense aggressively pursued the ball and left a receiver wide open.

Of course, Pruitt's approach also might be part of the problem. As FSU's players raved about the new scheme this offseason, the buzzword used again and again was "aggressive." Pruitt promised to turn the Seminoles' athletes loose to make plays, and the players loved the concept. It all sounded good until Boston College used that mindset against them.

"We’re a very aggressive defense, and we want to get to the ball fast," Brooks said. "That right there kind of killed us a little bit."

It's not that the scheme is flawed, however. Pruitt essentially is installing a defense similar to what Alabama used to win three of the past four national titles. There's a track record of success.

The difference is that when Pruitt took over as defensive backs coach at Alabama in 2010, that scheme was already in place, and the veterans already knew it well. At Florida State, it's all new, and the learning process requires time.

"When you come in during the spring and put in a new defense, especially as complex as this one, it’s not like you’re coaching a team full of guys that have already been in the system," defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan said. "It’s almost like you’re coaching a defense full of freshmen, technically. We’re all learning it."

Jernigan insists his teammates have bought in, but the learning process has come more quickly for some. Fisher praised Jernigan's work against BC, saying the junior played perhaps the best game of his career. Eddie Goldman earned raves, too, and linebacker Telvin Smith earned player of the week honors in the ACC after finishing with 10 tackles.

So where are the problems?

Fisher did his best to avoid criticizing specific players, though the absence of senior Christian Jones from his synopsis was noteworthy. Dan Hicks was burned for a touchdown, as well, though he was noticeably overmatched in his assignment. Defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and safety Tyler Hunter sat out for the second straight game against BC, too, and there are no assurances they'll be ready this week.

But to hear Fisher's analysis, there's no cause for alarm. It's not a matter of a flawed scheme, a too-steep learning curve or a lack of personnel. It's simply about getting the little things right.

Florida State's players are convinced of that, too, and the film from Boston College only burnished that optimism. But even so, this week's practices come with a mandate for improvement.

"Having that happen with these good teams that have mobile quarterbacks, people who can run and pass better, better receivers," Brooks said, "it’s just more of a problem at that point."

The two ACC quarterbacks contending for the Heisman turned in outstanding performances in Week 5, while one of the league's most maligned quarterbacks joined them. Here are this week's helmet stickers.

Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas: Perhaps no player in the ACC has faced more criticism in the first month of the season, but in spite of his struggles, Thomas now has his Hokies in position to win the Coastal thanks to an upset of Georgia Tech in which he was nearly flawless. Thomas completed 19-of-25 passes (just his second career game completing better than 70 percent of his throws) for 221 yards and a TD. He also rushed 16 times for 58 yards and another touchdown. Plenty of credit again goes to the Virginia Tech D, which sealed the game with a late interception, but it was Thomas' sterling performance that provides hope the Hokies still have a shot at a BCS game.

Pitt DT Aaron Donald: One week after being gashed for 55 points by Duke, the Pitt defense stepped up and shut down Virginia. The Cavaliers mustered just three points and 188 yards of offense, with Donald leading the charge in the middle of the line. Donald finished the game with two sacks, two QB hurries, three tackles and a forced fumble. Virginia managed just 2 yards per rush.

Florida State QB Jameis Winston: The defense struggled, the special teams were bad, but FSU's dynamic freshman quarterback staved off Boston College's upset bid almost single-handedly. Winston completed 17-of-27 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns, including a 55-yard Hail Mary throw at the end of the first half to Kenny Shaw. Winston was dazzling, leading FSU back from a 17-3 deficit with three completions of 40-plus yards. He also paced FSU's rushing game, carrying 14 times for 67 yards.

NC State WR Bryan Underwood: The Wolfpack kept things close with Clemson last week but came up just short. They've found a good bit more success outside the conference, including Saturday's 48-14 thrashing of Central Michigan when Underwood led the way with 190 yards of offense and a touchdown. Underwood caught five passes for a career-high 148 yards. Underwood hauled in an 80-yard touchdown pass from Pete Thomas, the first of the season for the NC State quarterback.

Clemson QB Tajh Boyd: After a somewhat shaky outing against NC State a week ago, Boyd bounced back into Heisman form against woefully overmatched Wake Forest. The senior QB completed 17-of-24 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns. He also served as Clemson's leading rusher, carrying the ball 17 times for 69 yards and a score. Boyd has accounted for at least three touchdowns in each of his three starts against FBS opponents (and 14 of his last 15 dating to last season).

In the days leading up to Virginia Tech's Thursday night showdown with Georgia Tech, Logan Thomas could hardly throw. An abdominal injury limited him in practice, which figured to be bad news for the Hokies, given how poorly Thomas and the offense had played when healthy.

So, of course, the senior quarterback went to Atlanta, played his best game of the season, and the much-maligned Virginia Tech offense helped lead an upset over the Yellow Jackets.

It was a harbinger for the weekend to come in the ACC. Just when it seemed we had things pegged, the expectations got turned upside down again.

How else to explain what happened in Pittsburgh, where the Panthers' defense completely shut down Virginia just seven days after coughing up 532 yards and 55 points to Duke? Certainly Virginia's offense didn't present the same test, but the Cavaliers mustered just 188 yards of offense in the game. Of course, the most surprising thing might have been that high-flying Pitt managed only 11 more.

Who could have possibly predicted Boston College's near upset of Florida State? It wasn't so much that the Eagles came out quickly against an unprepared Seminoles team. They did, of course, jumping out to a 17-3 lead. What was perhaps more surprising, however, was that BC kept coming back even after Jameis Winston and Florida State delivered what seemed like one final dagger after another. BC fought to the end, riding a power running game to 34 points against the bigger, faster Seminoles. Florida State knew BC's game plan was to run the ball, and yet Andre Williams still racked up 149 yards on the ground -- the most by a runner against FSU since 2010.

And what happened to North Carolina? Sure, the Tar Heels hadn't opened the season with many fireworks, but this was a team that tied for the Atlantic Division title a year ago, looked at least reasonably capable against South Carolina in its opener and was up early on Georgia Tech a week ago before faltering late. So did the Heels take out their frustrations against East Carolina? Not even close. UNC allowed 603 yards and 55 points, of course.

Or how about NC State's Pete Thomas? The backup QB forced into the starting role in Week 1 had looked dreadful during his first three games, tossing four interceptions without a TD. He looked much improved against Central Michigan on Saturday, including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Underwood, helping NC State to nearly 500 yards of total offense.

Then there was Logan Thomas, who had completed 70 percent of his passes in a game just once in his career, but managed to find receivers on 19 of his 25 attempts against Georgia Tech, racking up 279 yards of offense and two touchdowns in the win.

If the slate didn't provide myriad upsets, it certainly provided plenty of surprises in just how those outcomes came to be.

And yet, not every game was a shocker. Clemson scored an easy win on Wake Forest, and Miami ran up the score against USF. Some outcomes were so secure, there was no wiggle room for surprises.

But so much of what seemed clear a week ago -- that Georgia Tech was in the driver's seat in the Coastal, that Florida State was gearing up for its showdown with Clemson, that the Hokies couldn't move the football and Pitt couldn't stop it -- those assumptions all seem a bit silly now.

Instead, the Seminoles must go back to work and try to figure out how their defense has been gashed by both of the ACC opponents it has faced this year. With Maryland and Clemson up next on the slate, such shortcomings won't be so easily overcome by Winston's heroics.

Georgia Tech's plans for a second straight trip to the ACC title game may be dashed already, but the Jackets can help themselves stay alive with a win over Miami next week. They’re going to need some outside help, though, as they’ll lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with Virginia Tech, should it come to that.

Clemson and Miami are rolling, Pitt and NC State appear resilient, North Carolina and Wake are reeling. And Duke? Well, there's always hope the Blue Devils' D can rebound as well as Virginia Tech's offense.

"That locker room feels real good about ourselves," Hokies linebacker Jack Tyler said after their big win. "But like [defensive coordinator Bud] Foster says, when you start feeling good about yourself, that’s when you get knocked off."

That's a warning worth remembering around the ACC after this week.

After all, for all we thought we learned, the one overriding revelation could be that those lessons may last only until the games of Week 6 kick off and the whole set of assumptions is flipped upside down once again.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Back home in Alabama, the temper was as much a part of Jameis Winston's legend as the cannon arm or the fluid delivery.

On the field, he could be a madman, lashing out at anyone who stood between his team and victory. Winston might bark at a teammate during practice or voice his opposition to a ref's call on game night, enough that his high school coach had once threatened to bench him if he couldn't control his emotions. As Winston matured, he learned to better harness that competitive fire, but even now, it still burns.

"I'm a competitor until the day I die," Winston said.

Perhaps that's why his rapport with Jimbo Fisher comes so naturally. They are kindred spirits, competitors cut from the same cloth. They demand perfection because anything less would be a wasted opportunity.

Fisher's temper on the field was already an accepted idiosyncrasy at Florida State, and no one earns more ire on a regular basis than his quarterback. The lectures come routinely -- after bad plays and, on numerous occasions, good ones, too. There's always room to improve and Fisher never neglects an opportunity to get better.

It's a demeanor that could rattle even the most confident of quarterbacks, but Winston revels in it.

"It doesn't bother him a bit," Fisher said. "He's harder on himself that I am. It motivates him. That stuff, he likes it."

In last week's 54-6 win over Bethune-Cookman, Winston added two more touchdown throws to his impressive season total, including a bullet to Kelvin Benjamin as he sprinted away from a trio of defenders. Fans roared, teammates celebrated and Winston knew he was in trouble.

Bethune-Cookman brought the blitz, and Winston was supposed to make a quick throw to his hot route. Instead, he held the ball, looking for a bigger play downfield. He got greedy, and as he made his way to the sideline, Fisher wrapped an arm around his shoulder and reiterated the point.

"I knew I messed up," Winston said. "I had to at least throw the touchdown while I get yelled at in the film room."

The tongue-lashings are part of the process, Fisher said. It's part competitive zeal, part motivational needling. As much as anything, though, it's a test. He needs to see how far he can push his quarterback, and he wants to see how the player responds.

"You have to do that, and you have to test them because in the game, quarterbacks get yelled at by their own players," Fisher said. "People get on you, 80,000 people get on you. How do you deal with all that?"

Few deal with it better than Winston. Teammates say no one takes more heat from Fisher, and yet they've never seen Winston make the same mistake twice.

If there's a criticism of Winston's relationship with his coach, it's that he's perhaps not intimidated enough when the verbal jabs begin to mount. Chalk it up to all that common ground the two men share. Winston knows what drives his coach, and so he understands when it's time to shrug off a critique and when it's time to buckle down.

"When Coach Fisher tries to yell at me and intimidate me, he knows I'm going to look at him like, 'Coach, I know you're trying to get up under my skin,' and it's not necessarily going to work," Winston said. "But when I know he's serious, I get a different attitude, and I've got to lock in."

That hasn't stopped Fisher from leaning on his quarterback. That's his nature. But Winston's response to the prodding has earned him a sizable bit of latitude on the field.

The key isn't eliminating mistakes, Fisher said, but understanding them, and Winston always knows what he's done wrong before Fisher can unleash his wrath. That's given Fisher the confidence to let Winston freelance on the field in spite of his limited experience.

"Each player, what he can absorb at that time in his career, matters as to how much leeway you give them," Fisher said. "He gets more than most."

Winston downplayed his freedom to improvise. Yes, he's making the decisions on the field, he said, but he's simply going through the same processes Fisher has taught him again and again.

It's a harmony between coach and QB, two men who view the game through the same prism.

Fisher's expectations are high, but no higher than Winston's. If Fisher is angry about a busted play, Winston is angrier. If Fisher lambasts his quarterback after a bad read, Winston already knows what he needs to do.

The yelling, that's just a small part of it, Winston said.

"That's what I would do if I was a coach," Winston said. "He's competitive. He wants everything to go perfectly. He's a perfectionist, and that's something you want in a coach."

Still, the volume can start to grate for even the most amenable players after a while, so Winston at least makes the effort to keep Fisher calm. It's a fool's errand, but he likes to try.

Fisher isn't going to change and Winston wouldn't want him to.

"I can quiet him," Winston said, "but I can't stop him from yelling."

For the past decade, the ACC has shared the regional stage with the SEC, but it has been a clear second-class citizen. In the first month of the 2013 season, however, the conference did its best to shed that reputation and deliver a few blows to its neighbor with the long run of national titles. Clemson knocked off Georgia, Miami upended Florida and along with Florida State, the ACC looks to have at least three teams with sights set on the BCS.

Best game: Clemson's win over Georgia

No one doubted Clemson's offensive potential before the season, but for the Tigers -- and the ACC -- to establish their national-title credentials, they needed a big win, and Georgia provided the perfect foil on the first Saturday of the season. Tajh Boyd accounted for five touchdowns, Roderick McDowell ran for 132 yards, Sammy Watkins hauled in six catches for 127 yards and the Clemson defense did just enough to secure a 38-35 win that set the stage for the ACC's emergence as a challenger to SEC dominance.

Best player: Boyd

Four weeks into the season, Boyd's numbers have only burnished the preseason Heisman hype. He has racked up six passing touchdowns and three more on the ground, and he has yet to throw an interception. His numbers aren't buffered by a stat-padding game against weak opposition, either. He saw a limited workload against South Carolina State, saving his best for a surprisingly close game against NC State and a season-defining win over Georgia.

Best performance: Jameis Winston's debut

There was plenty of buzz surrounding the Florida State quarterback before he ever took a snap, but Winston still managed to exceed expectations in his first game. Winston completed his first 11 passes, finished 25-of-27 for 356 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in a blowout win over Pittsburgh. He followed that up with two more solid games, but his debut ranks among the best for any quarterback in the past decade.

Best surprise: Maryland's hot start

It's not that the Terrapins didn't have talent, but there were so many question marks to open the season. C.J. Brown returned after missing all of 2012, a bevy of defensive stalwarts were gone and the Terrapins were riding out their final ACC campaign before moving to the Big Ten. Through four games, though, things have worked out beautifully. Brown and Stefon Diggs helped the Maryland offense rack up more than 500 yards in its first three games, the defense pitched a shutout against West Virginia last week, and the Terps will enter their Oct. 5 clash with Florida State undefeated.

Biggest disappointment: Virginia Tech's offense

It wasn't so long ago Logan Thomas was being discussed as a future first-round NFL draft pick. Now, he's among the most criticized quarterbacks in the country. His 42.3 Total QBR ranks 98th nationally, and he has more sacks (5) and interceptions (6) than touchdown passes (4). Virginia Tech's offense ranks 106th nationally in yards per play (4.68), and everyone has contributed. The receivers can't get open, the ground game has been stuck in neutral and the line is doing little to open running lanes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After the 54-6 shellacking of an FCS opponent had ended, Jimbo Fisher perched himself in front of cameras and reporters and grimaced as he studied the statistics from the game.

Receivers dropped three potential touchdowns.

The freshman phenom at quarterback made too many bad decisions.

The defense coughed up 18 first downs.

The special teams hasn't delivered enough big plays.

"I'm still not happy," Fisher lamented. "We're not clicking on all cylinders."

Florida State is 3-0, ranked No. 8 in the nation, the victor in three blowouts in which reserves spent nearly as much time on the field in the second halves as the starters did, but none of that really matters. Fisher knows the season is just now beginning, and his post-game critique of the Seminoles thumping of Bethune-Cookman was a necessary mix of honest insight and psychological manipulation.

Enthusiasm surrounding Florida State is on the upswing since Jameis Winston's magical debut against Pitt in the opener, and only the most pessimistic dissection of the results since then would offer much cause for concern. But the truth is, these first three games probably haven't offered much insight into what's still to come for Florida State, and the only lesson players are taking is that there's still ample room for improvement.

"I don't know if we've been tested enough yet," said tailback Devonta Freeman, who has posted consecutive 100-yard outings. "But I know in the couple games we had, we've got some stuff out there we need to clean up and get better at. I know that."

On offense, Florida State has been meticulously efficient, averaging 8.8 yards per play -- the third-best mark in the nation -- and Winston has been a revelation, accounting for 10 touchdowns and just one interception in three games.

But consider the opposition. Pittsburgh ranks 103rd nationally in total defense this season. Nevada is worse yet, checking in at No. 113. Bethune-Cookman was marginally better than expected, but it's still an FCS team. If anything, Winston said, things have come too easily so far.

"Everything was going our way," Winston said after Saturday's win. "I probably came out and took them for granted."

Winston's biggest tests may still be on the horizon, but he doesn't lack confidence and his teammates are sold on his ability. The defense, on the other hand, remains a mystery.

When Jeremy Pruitt came on board as FSU's new defensive coordinator, it was with the promise of an all-out, aggressive attack. So far, that plan hasn't developed on the field.

Missed tackles frustrated Fisher against Bethune-Cookman, though Florida State played the game with three defensive starters absent and a fourth, Tyler Hunter, on the sideline for the bulk of the contest with a neck injury.

Still, the defensive line has accounted for just one sack thus far. FSU has created three takeaways against clearly overmatched competition. The defense is allowing 43 more rushing yards per game than it did a year ago. The missed tackles in space became so prevalent that Fisher suggested personnel changes could be in store.

The Seminoles have allowed just 26 points on the season, but they're hardly satisfied.

"We say bend but don't break," linebacker Telvin Smith said, "but we've got to kill the bending."

For all the nitpicking, however, the end result is the same. Florida State has done what was expected in three games that weren't supposed to be particularly tough.

Perhaps the best thing to happen for the Seminoles thus far is what's happened around them. Clemson knocked off Georgia to establish its credentials as a national-title threat, and FSU's date with the Tigers on Oct. 19 looms large. Meanwhile, Maryland dominated its first four games, too, ensuring the Seminoles will have at least one true test before it heads to Death Valley.

And when those dates arrive, Florida State figures to have a few more tricks up its sleeve, too.

"There's still a lot left," Fisher said of the relatively tame defensive effort so far. "These teams [FSU has played so far], you have to be very careful not to just load up on them. There's a lot more things to come -- a lot more."

These first three games have been a prologue, hinting at what's to come. The story's climax is still a ways off, Smith said, but there are enough details to dissect that no one's looking too far ahead.

"Any time you step onto the field, it's a challenge -- but to the level of the challenge, you have to just keep playing and every week is going to teach you something new," Smith said. "It's a continuous learning process, so we've got to continue to learn."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Rain drenched the field, and the opposition did little to inspire much enthusiasm, so after Florida State finished its 54-6 dismantling of Bethune-Cookman, about the only highlight worth savoring was that first, dizzying touchdown throw from Jameis Winston.

Most everything came easily for Florida State on Saturday, but this one was tough. The snap came and the pass rush was instantly in Winston's face. He shrugged off two defenders, rolled to his left, and he delivered a bullet to Kelvin Benjamin for the score.

It was a play few quarterbacks could make, and Winston is dreading seeing it again on film.

"That's going to be a negative in the film room," Winston said. "It was supposed to be a hot [route], but it was so clear, I was like, 'Oh man, this is going to be a touchdown.' I didn't even think about the hot."

After three games in which Winston has made virtually everything look easy, this is where the redshirt freshman quarterback finds flaws. The opportunities for big plays are so vast, he can't help but get greedy.

It has happened a few times in the past two weeks. He ignored open receivers underneath looking for a receiver downfield on his lone interception of the season against Nevada. He was blind to better options for short gains on a handful of throws Saturday, too, finishing just 10-of-19 for 148 yards against an FCS foe -- nearly doubling his season total of incompletions.

In almost every instance, the misfires were a matter of wanting more than the defense was offering.

"I've got to calm down and focus," Winston said, "Be needy, not greedy."

It's not that Fisher was particularly upset with the outcome of Winston's touchdown throw. Once the play broke down, the freshman QB did all he could to keep it alive, and he delivered a perfect throw on the run.

It's just that, if Winston had read the play properly and executed as he was taught, all that magic wouldn't have been necessary.

"He knew it, but he just wanted to throw the touchdown," Fisher said.

The praise for Winston has been universal through three games, and rightfully so. Florida State won all three games easily, with Winston relaxing on the sideline early in the fourth quarter of each, and his stat line looks nearly flawless.

If anything, it has been too easy.

"I understand because he's a playmaker and he wants to make plays," tailback Devonta Freeman said. "I want to make plays. So if he does get greedy on a play, he's going to make it up. I don't ever get on him."

But Winston's happy to critique himself. Dressed in a shirt and tie after a game in which he'd barely seen the field in the second half, he offered his usual smiles but few platitudes about his own game.

Bigger, better opponents await, and even if the flaws have been few and far between, Winston knows they're there.

"I probably came out and took [Bethune-Cookman] for granted," Winston said. "That was my fault. I was greedy. I was very greedy. That's why having Coach Fisher is good. He easily gets you out of that. I snapped out of that fast."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Jimbo Fisher used all the obvious cliches to sell the game to his players. He rattled off the stats about FCS teams pulling upsets over more prestigious competition and waxed poetic about the underrated skills of this week's competition. Players did their due diligence, too, insisting they prepare for every game like a national championship -- never mind that they're favored by nearly six touchdowns.

It's the usual early season dance in which the participants refuse to offer a hint of confidence, choosing instead to make the case for the infinitesimal possibility that Bethune-Cookman might upset mighty Florida State.

"We better be ready boy, or we'll get embarrassed," said Fisher, whose team just pummeled Nevada 62-7.

The stark reality of Florida State's schedule this season is that, in spite of Fisher's warnings, there's little box office cache for likely landslides, and selling tickets is the backbone of the athletics department's revenue stream.

That's one of the challenges for new athletics director Stan Wilcox. On the job for only a month, his philosophy on filling out future schedules is hardly written in stone, but the potential pitfalls are a prime topic of discussion.

"I am new to Florida State but I’m not new to the challenges of scheduling that each FBS school faces these days," Wilcox said. "I do know that we have been actively engaging in discussions with major programs for games that will be very appealing to the fans, but the reality is that until everything is adjusted and final, it is not appropriate to provide specific discussions."

FSU understands the messy formula of future scheduling well. Last year, West Virginia welched on a home-and-home deal at the last minute, leaving the Seminoles scrambling for a replacement. The result was back-to-back games against FCS foes to open the season with FSU winning by a combined score of 124-3.

The fallout from that decision trickled into 2013, too. It's a convoluted storyline that involved Nevada pushing for an exit strategy of its own, Idaho stepping in at the last minute, and a quirk in the scheduling that left FSU with a date that needed to be filled and a paycheck Bethune-Cookman was happy to cash in exchange for a potentially ugly loss in Tallahassee.

The future schedule remains in flux, too. Florida State has contacts in place for a handful of nonconference dates in future years, including home-and-homes with USF and Boise State, along with Notre Dame as part of the ACC's new agreement with the Fighting Irish. Wilcox said few items are set in stone.

"Signed contracts don’t assure that games are going to be played any more," he said.

Notre Dame will make its first trip to Tallahassee since 2002 next year, when Florida State's schedule promises to be one of the most difficult in the nation. The Seminoles open with a neutral-site game against Oklahoma State, while facing Notre Dame and Florida in nonconference play, along with marquee ACC games against Miami, Louisville and Clemson.

That slate has already piqued interest among fans, many of whom have purchased season tickets for this year as a means of assuring access to those big games in 2014. Big nonconference games drive ticket sales and donations, which makes scheduling a key piece of the revenue puzzle.

"Being thought leaders in how to fill a stadium and how to schedule to where it's an attractive schedule for the customer, that's really important," said Jerry Kutz, vice president of marketing and communications for Seminole Boosters, during Florida State's AD search this summer.

Even the emergence of freshman phenom Jameis Winston wasn't enough to sell out Doak Campbell Stadium for his home debut. Fisher penned a letter to fans urging them to eschew their high-definition TVs in favor of the game day experience, but it's tough to convince fans to shell out hundreds of dollars for a seat in the stands when their couch is both more comfortable and less expensive. The school has hyped the return of Bobby Bowden for two games later this season -- NC State and Syracuse -- as both an opportunity to honor the former coach and a way of putting fans in the seats for games in which Florida State figures to be heavily favored.

So Wilcox will begin laying out a plan to address those concerns after meeting with the Florida State board of trustees next month, but practical limitations mean any large-scale changes to the current philosophy will be difficult.

Florida State needs the added revenue of a seventh home game, and with a regularly scheduled home-and-home series against Florida, one nonconference road date is already accounted for every other season. Add in a continuously shifting conference landscape, and the options get even trickier.

"Like most schools, we at FSU don’t have the luxury of having a sequence of back-to-back years or even every other year openings in our schedule, which makes finding a home-and-home series extremely difficult in the near future," Wilcox said. "Given that, you must schedule teams that are willing to make trips to Tallahassee without a return game or vice versa."

One potential workaround for Florida State is neutral-site kickoff games, like the one they'll play against Oklahoma State in Dallas next season. Typically those games attract large crowds, and unlike a normal road date, the revenue is split evenly between the two schools.

Former AD Randy Spetman suggested a kickoff game in Atlanta against Georgia was in the works before he was reassigned this summer, and while that game now seems less likely to happen, Wilcox said the school continues to explore other neutral-site contests.

"We are actively engaged in talks with several neutral site venues and the conference office to schedule some games in the near future with FBS schools, but nothing that I can comment on at this time," Wilcox said. "We explored very thoroughly the possibility of a neutral-site game in Atlanta in the very near future, but it did not come together."

Fisher said he hasn't discussed scheduling with Wilcox yet, but anticipates it will be a point of emphasis in the near future. Fisher said he'd like to see FSU continue to schedule one "significant game" every year out of conference, in addition to Florida.

But even if Florida State wants to play other marquee games, finding willing partners is increasingly difficult as conferences adjust their priorities, too. The SEC is considering a move to a nine-game conference slate. The Big Ten announced it will no longer play FCS foes. Notre Dame's partial membership in the ACC adds a new wrinkle, and the new playoff system, in which four teams will have a shot at the national title, could make scheduling more competitive or, perhaps, increase the rewards for teams that avoid a loss by skipping out on particularly daunting challenges.

While the future schedules remain a mystery, Fisher said he anticipates a push toward better competition.

"I think strength of schedule is going to be very important in what you do," Fisher said.

Week 3 in the ACC didn't have the same high-stakes fireworks as the first two, but there were still a few stories of note.

The good: Any worries Georgia Tech fans might have had about new starting quarterback Vad Lee should have been alleviated when the Durham, N.C., native torched his hometown team, throwing four touchdown passes and running for a fifth score in a 38-14 victory over Duke. Lee threw for 126 yards, ran for 76 more and directed the Yellow Jackets' option offense with precision. The four TD passes represented a single-game high in the Paul Johnson era at Georgia Tech, and Lee's six passing scores already have him halfway to last year's total of 12.

The bad: Riding the high of a two-game winning streak to start the season, Boston College was thinking upset when it headed west to take on a struggling USC team. The Eagles might be improved under new coach Steve Addazio, but they're not quite ready to play with the big boys. The Trojans' languishing offense found plenty of room to work in a 35-7 win, and BC's Chase Rettig completed just 11 of 24 passes in a homecoming game for the Southern California native.

The ugly: Head coach Jim Grobe was optimistic before the season. But three games in, things look awfully bad for Wake Forest. The Deacons lost their second game in a row -- 21-19 to Louisiana-Monroe after a failed two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter -- mustering just 15 yards on the ground in the game. Through three games, Wake Forest ranks 120th nationally at just 2.4 yards per rush.

The playmaker: Pittsburgh might not be quite ready to compete with the ACC's royalty, but the Panthers clearly have some skill on offense, led by freshman phenom Tyler Boyd. After racking up 151 all-purpose yards in Week 1 against Florida State, Boyd demolished New Mexico with a 33-yard TD run and a 34-yard TD reception. Overall, Boyd has averaged 20.4 yards every time he's touched the ball.

The rebound: Jameis Winston admitted he might have been a bit too excited for his home debut at Florida State and it showed. He opened the game 2-of-5 passing and threw his first career interception early in the second quarter. But Winston wasn't rattled by the struggles. He followed the pick by completing his final 13 passes and leading six consecutive touchdown drives in the Seminoles' blowout win over Nevada.

The rebound, part II: After two dismal weeks offensively, Syracuse finally got things going behind quarterback Terrel Hunt. Drew Allen struggled in Syracuse's first two games -- both losses -- and Scott Shafer announced he'd open up the competition. Hunt made a quick impression, completing 15 of 18 passes for 265 yards and three TDs in a 54-0 win over Wagner. What remains to be seen is whether Hunt can keep up the big numbers against better competition.

The homecoming: Randy Edsall helped usher Connecticut into the FBS as head coach of the Huskies, but he didn't do his former team many favors when he led Maryland back to his old stomping grounds. The Terps racked up 501 yards of offense and only three turnovers kept UConn in the game. Quarterback C.J. Brown gained more than 100 yards rushing for the second time in three games in the 32-21 Maryland victory.

The paradox: Virginia Tech's third game was a lot like its first. The good news was that the Hokies' defense looks legit. After an opening-drive TD, East Carolina managed just 129 yards the rest of the game and Virginia Tech forced three turnovers in a 15-10 victory. On the flip side, Logan Thomas and the offense continues to struggle. Tech had just 311 yards of its own, was 10-of-22 on third and fourth downs and averaged just 1.6 yards per rush. Meanwhile, kicker Cody Journell missed two field goals and a PAT.

The wake-up call: Duke might still get to six victories and bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season, but it seemed clear after Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech that the Blue Devils aren't quite ready to compete for a division title. Lee torched the Duke defense and quarterback Brandon Connette averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt in his first start since replacing the injured Anthony Boone.

The quote: "When I got out there, it was nothing but green grass." -- Florida State's Karlos Williams on the toss sweep that went for a 65-yard touchdown on his first career carry. He moved from safety to tailback last week.

Here are your top five performers for Week 3 in the ACC:

Georgia Tech quarterback Vad Lee: Not only did he throw the ball, he beat Duke with his arm. Lee threw four touchdown passes -- the most in a game in the Paul Johnson era, and the most by a Jackets quarterback since Reggie Ball threw four against NC State in 2006. He also ran for another touchdown in the 38-14 win over Duke, was 8-of-16 for 125 yards and added 76 yards rushing. Georgia Tech rolled up 344 yards rushing and 469 total yards.

Virginia Tech CB Brandon Facyson: The true freshman has grown quickly into a star, as he picked off a pair of passes and made two tackles in the Hokies’ 15-10 win at East Carolina. The Hokies’ D was again the highlight, as Virginia Tech held ECU to just 158 yards passing and 204 yards of total offense. Facyson already has three interceptions this year, matching the most interceptions in a season by a Tech freshman since DeAngelo Hall had three interceptions in 12 games as a freshman in 2001. Coach Frank Beamer told reporters after the game that Facyson is “a baller.”

Pitt freshmen: The future is now at Pitt, where three freshmen made headlines in the Panthers’ 49-27 win over New Mexico on Saturday. Freshman James Conner had 119 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Freshman Tyler Boyd continued to impress with six catches for 134 yards, including with a 51-yarder early in the game and a 34-yard touchdown reception as time ran out in the first half. He also had two carries for 39 yards with a 33-yard touchdown run. Freshman tight end Scott Orndoff joined the party with a 4-yard touchdown.

Florida State’s running backs: Sure, it was another outstanding day for quarterback Jameis Winston in the 62-7 romp over Nevada, but let’s spread the love a little. Devonta Freeman ran nine times for 109 yards and a touchdown. James Wilder Jr. added 45 yards and a score. And the highlight? Former safety Karlos Williams, who moved to offense after the season opener against Pitt, ran eight times for 110 yards and a score. His 65-yard run early in the third quarter gave the Noles a comfortable 31-7 lead. FSU finished with 377 rushing yards -- just their third 300-plus yard rushing day since 2007.

Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle: McDougle finished with a personal-best two interceptions, including one he returned 49 yards for a touchdown to essentially seal the Terps' 32-21 win over UConn in Randy Edsall's homecoming. It was Maryland's first pick-six since November 2011. McDougle also led the team with seven solo tackles. Maryland now has six total interceptions on the season, two more than all of 2012. But there was some bad news, as McDougle left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on this weekend as we head into Week 3:

1. Famous Jameis. It's been a nearly interminable two weeks since we've seen Jameis Winston take the field. And who can blame us for complaining? His college debut was sensational, and his home debut will come this Saturday against Nevada. (He's excited, meanwhile, because Wolfpack end Brock Hekking has a mullet.)

2. Another upset on the horizon? OK, so it will take a lot for BC to pull off the upset at USC. But who's to say that it cannot happen after watching the first two weeks? The Trojans are reeling after a 10-7 home loss, and the fans are calling for Lane Kiffin's firing. The Eagles, meanwhile, have shown a renewed sense of grit under new coach Steve Addazio. Just imagine Addazio's reaction if his squad pulls it off ...

3. Edsall's reception. Randy Edsall's exit from UConn three years ago was not exactly smooth. Now the Maryland coach returns to his old stomping grounds as the Terrapins look to improve to 3-0. The Huskies beat them last year in College Park, Md., 24-21.

4. Pitt getting back on track. All we have on which to judge the Panthers' ACC era so far is a Week 1 loss to Winston and FSU. But the Panthers do show promise offensively, and they have a great chance to get in a rhythm this week against New Mexico, especially coming out of a bye.

5. Duke QBs. It's Brandon Connette time for the Blue Devils, who kick off their ACC season at Georgia Tech. With Anthony Boone out indefinitely with a broken collarbone, Connette will start, though coach David Cutcliffe has said he wants to get freshman Parker Boehme some playing time as well.

6. Georgia Tech's A-back. The Yellow Jackets start an eight-week stretch of eight games, with the first four coming against division opponents. They will be without A-back Deon Hill (illness), with B.J. Bostic or Synjyn Days likely to step in for Hill.

7. Syracuse's QB shuffle. A home opener against FCS Wagner may be the perfect remedy for the 0-2 Orange. Drew Allen will start again at quarterback, but Terrel Hunt has been assured of playing time as well. How both fare could determine who gets the nod moving forward this season.

8. Wake looks for answers on offense. The Deacs struggled in their 10-point outing last week at BC, particularly running the option. Coach Jim Grobe said the option is here to stay, though he'd like to see more out of the passing game when defenses focus on the run.

9. Can the Hokies' offense get it going? Logan Thomas was better last week but still threw two picks in the end zone against Western Carolina, resulting in a total QBR rating that ranks 132nd out of 138 passers. He will need to improve against the East Carolina Pirates, whom the Hokies remember for their opening-week upset in 2008.

10. Unlikely fireworks? Five ACC teams are off this weekend, including Clemson and Miami, which have provided the league with its signature victories so far this season. Where will the surprises come from this week? The Coliseum is where the biggest one can probably take place, though Winston could surprise us all and re-create his opening-week performance when FSU faces Nevada.

Both Miami and BC got us last week, sending us to 8-2 records in Week 2 and 20-3 marks overall. This week will be different, though. We finally disagreed.

OK, so it was only one game, but it's progress. On to the picks!

SATURDAY
Virginia Tech (1-1) at East Carolina (2-0), noon, FSN. Heather put the Hokies on upset alert headed into this game for legitimate reasons. Virginia Tech has underwhelmed on offense again; East Carolina has proven problematic in the past; and Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is a pretty tough place to play. The Pirates have been solid on offense behind quarterback Shane Carden, who has seven touchdown passes, zero interceptions and is completing nearly 80 percent of his passes. East Carolina has run 140 plays so far this year – the same number as Oregon. But its first two games came against Old Dominion and Florida Atlantic. Not exactly powerhouses. The Virginia Tech defense will find a way to slow down the high-tempo attack, and the Hokies will do enough on offense to win a close game.

AA picks: Virginia Tech 20, East Carolina 13

HD picks: Virginia Tech 31, ECU 28

ULM (1-1) at Wake Forest (1-1), 12:30 p.m., ESPN3. #ULMvsWAKE. Believe it or not, this is the first Saturday game for the Deacs all season, after they opened on a Thursday night and then played BC last Friday. ULM is not a pushover. The Warhawks won eight games a season ago and return a veteran quarterback in Kolton Browning and veteran running back Jyruss Edwards. ULM also just ran for over 300 yards in a win over Grambling. No need to remind Deacs fans about the way the Eagles ran the ball last week. Still, what Wake Forest needs to do in this game is be more effective running the ball. That has been a major area of concern dating back to last season. ULM has not done particularly well at slowing down the run, so Wake could have a breakthrough.

AA picks: Wake Forest 24, ULM 20

HD picks: Wake Forest 28, ULM 17

New Mexico (1-1) at Pitt (0-1), 12:30 p.m., ESPN3. #UNMvsPITT. The Panthers take the field for the first time since losing to Florida State in the opener, with an eye on making major defensive improvements. The good news is there is no Jameis Winston on the other side of the ball. The bad news is that New Mexico runs an entirely different offense based on the option, requiring much better tackling than the Panthers had against the Seminoles. Running back Kasey Carrier had 291 yards rushing in a win over UTEP last week. Offensively, Pitt has an opportunity to get its running game going against one of the worst rush defenses in the nation. No question, the Panthers need to do a better job on first down.

AA picks: Pitt 34, New Mexico 13

HD picks: Pitt 35, New Mexico 7

Boston College (2-0) at USC (1-1), 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network. #BCvsUSC. As tempting as it is to pick the upset in this game, given the horror show that was USC last week, it is tough for me to see the Trojans losing back-to-back games at home to inferior opponents. USC has too much talent to keep falling on its face, even with Lane Kiffin as its head coach. While I have been impressed so far with the job coach Steve Addazio has done with the Eagles, I think the Trojans bounce back in a low-scoring slugfest. USC has a terrific defense (No. 12 in the nation right now in total D) and I do not think Andre Williams will have nearly the same success he did against Wake Forest. BC does not have a reliable second option at receiver, either. USC will get just enough out of Cody Kessler and Marqise Lee to win.

AA picks: USC 17, Boston College 10

HD picks: BC 14, USC 10: Forget about the disaster that is the Kiffin era. This Boston College team has gotten back to its roots under Addazio. They are a well-coached, fundamentally sound, physical team that can run the ball, and that’s a recipe for beating teams they’re not expected to. Yes, USC’s defense is very good -- hence the low-scoring game -- but there are intangibles at work here. The Eagles are all-in on Addazio’s playbook, while the Trojans don’t even seem to be on the same page.

Nevada (1-1) at No. 10 Florida State (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN. #NEVvsFSU. Act II of the Jameis Winston show begins Saturday against a Nevada team that gave up 58 to UCLA two weeks ago. So that clearly means the Seminoles will score 116, right? All joking aside, the most interesting aspect of this game is watching the revamped FSU defense defend the vaunted Pistol offense. The Noles need to get a better performance out of its defensive front than they got against Pitt in the Week 1 opener. The Wolf Pack do have a talented quarterback in Cody Fajardo, but clearly the defense is a work in progress. Jameis Time again.

AA picks: FSU 45, Nevada 17

HD picks: FSU 58, Nevada 10

Georgia Tech (1-0) at Duke (2-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPNU. #GTvsDUKE. The Jackets enter a critical four-game stretch against Coastal Division rivals, a make-or-break month that will have a large impact on their season. They have owned the series against Duke of late, winning nine straight while averaging 37 points per contest. Duke appears to be playing better on defense this year -- Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said, "They look like the old Pittsburgh Steelers." But the truth is, neither team has played a quality opponent yet. We will know plenty more about both teams after this game ends. I do think Duke is better defensively, but not good enough yet to slow down the Georgia Tech offense.

AA picks: Georgia Tech 34, Duke 20

HD picks: Georgia Tech 35, Duke 28

Wagner (1-1) at Syracuse (0-2), ESPN3. #WAGvsCUSE. No Big Ten team on the schedule this week for the Orange, but there is no time to relax. Not when there are so many issues that need to be fixed on offense and defense. Where to begin? Syracuse has to take better care of the football, as it stands at minus-3 in turnover margin right now. Drew Allen has to find a way to cut down on his mistakes. The ground game needs to get supercharged. And the defense has to do a better job up front. Wagner did win its conference last year, a point Syracuse coach Scott Shafer has hammered home this week, so this could be closer than some expect.

AA picks: Syracuse 35, Wagner 17

HD picks: Syracuse 42, Wagner 3

Maryland (2-0) at UConn (0-1), 7:30 p.m., ESPN3. #MDvsUCONN. The Randy Edsall Bowl closes the ACC schedule for Week 2, and the truth is, this game should not even be close. The Huskies had myriad issues at just about every position on the field in their loss to Towson, an FCS team, gaining just 290 yards in total offense. The Terps are hot right now, particularly on offense. Both the running game and passing game have worked well so far, giving them the No. 1 offense in the ACC. The defense has also been strong, ranking No. 4 in the league in total D. The heart of the Huskies the past two years was their defense, but they lost their coordinator to BC and their best players to the NFL. Maryland romps.

AA picks: Maryland 38, UConn 10

HD picks: Maryland 28, UConn 7

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- From the time he left the stadium in Pittsburgh until Florida State's team bus reached the plane that would shuttle the Seminoles back home, Jameis Winston's phone was glued to his ear. Everyone wanted a piece of him in the aftermath of his remarkable debut performance, and Winston soaked up the attention.

But if there was any doubt that the sudden burst of national fame was going to change Winston, a brief moment of eavesdropping on his conversations would've alleviated any concerns.

"He was joking around," Kenny Shaw said. "He's still the same."

And yet, so much surrounding Winston has changed.

It was Lamarcus Joyner who likely summed up Winston's debut best. For months, the hype surrounding Winston grew with exponential force, and when the moment of truth finally arrived, the redshirt freshman quarterback delivered a near flawless performance. It was, as Joyner said, a prophecy fulfilled.

Winston is no longer the redshirt freshman who has never thrown a pass. But if all the expectations were met, and the hype was all proven valid after just one game, what comes next?

"It's a long season," Joyner said, "and he's got to keep on fulfilling the prophecy."

That's a tall order for anyone, given Winston's remarkable debut.

Winston threw 11 straight completions to start the game, and only one of his 27 pass attempts hit the ground. He threw four touchdown passes and ran for another. He turned broken plays into big plays, adjusted on the fly like a savvy veteran. Even after breaking down the film days after the postgame hysteria had faded, Jimbo Fisher couldn't find a significant chink in Winston's armor.

"There are some things to adjust and tweak," Fisher said, "but nothing that was critical."

So that's the standard for Winston as he heads into his second career start, Florida State's home opener against Nevada on Saturday. In Week 1, he was just short of perfect. In Week 2, anything less would feel like a disappointment.

Given the way Fisher worked to temper expectations throughout the offseason, it might seem reasonable he'd be the first to eject the highlight film of Winston's debut and call for a fresh start Saturday.

And yet, if Fisher is supposed to be the voice of reason, he's not offering much of an argument on the side of reserved judgement. Even Fisher admits Winston might just be a special case.

"Everybody's going to stumble," Fisher began to explain after a practice last week. Then he caught himself, pivoted, and suggested the possibility every Florida State fan has been eager to proclaim since Winston's sterling debut.

"You think people are going to stumble, but maybe not," he said. "Maybe they play well all the time, keep things in perspective, remember why they're doing things and stay true to the process."

In fact, Fisher said he has urged Winston not to put the Pittsburgh game behind him, but rather to study it and relive it. The circumstances on the field may change, he said, but the preparation that precedes a game like that shouldn't.

Of course, that's also where potential stumbling blocks are so easy to find. In the wake of his coming-out party on national television, Winston became an instant star -- not just around Tallahassee, but throughout the college football landscape. Suddenly he wasn't just a dark-horse Heisman candidate, but a legitimate contender. Suddenly he wasn't simply a rising star in the college ranks, but as ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wrote last week, Winston already seemed a safe bet as a future first-round NFL draft pick. And after all that attention, reliving the same routine, locking in on "the process," as Fisher said, becomes increasingly tough.

Except, again, Winston might be that unique case, a player impervious to the spotlight.

"He's been getting attention all his life -- since high school, maybe little league," Joyner said. "Some guys try to be politically correct, try to change things, do too much. Jameis is Jameis. He understands that's what comes with it. The way he's handled it, I'm very impressed."

Winston's QBR against Pittsburgh ranked higher than any other debut against an AQ team in 10 years, but of the next three players on that list, two went on to become first-round NFL picks. Only three other quarterbacks in the past decade had a QBR better than Winston's, regardless of the competition. One of those, Sam Bradford, won a Heisman and was drafted first overall in 2010. Another, Marcus Mariota, is a leading candidate for the Heisman this year. It's an elite group, and yet none of them managed a follow-up performance that approached their impressive debuts.

But maybe, just maybe, Winston is different.

"He's going to do even better than he did against Nevada this week," said tight end Nick O'Leary. "Hopefully he throws no incompletions this game."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- It probably should've been so much worse. A car pulls into an intersection. A motorcycle driven by Florida State tight end Nick O'Leary slams into it. Plastic and glass and O'Leary scatter across the street.

The footage is gruesome, but the 6-foot-3, 250-pound O'Leary walked away with only minor injuries. Florida State's playera can laugh about it now.

"I'm just glad he didn't scrape his hands," Jameis Winston joked before the season.

O'Leary's hands were just fine in the Seminoles' opener, and his burgeoning rapport with Winston became the centerpiece of FSU's red-zone attack. O'Leary hauled in three touchdowns in the win over Pittsburgh, the first multi-touchdown game by an FSU tight end in nearly 20 years.

It was a sterling performance, but O'Leary said it might also signal a real change of direction for the Florida State offense, which has rarely made tight end a focal point of the passing game.

"We always run those plays in practice a lot, but I didn't know [Jimbo Fisher] was going to call them that many times in the red zone," O'Leary said. "But I'm glad he did."

The three touchdowns marked a career best for O'Leary at any level, and it matched his total from all of 2012. His 47 receiving yards were the third-highest total of any single game since he's been at Florida State, and his four catches matched a career high.

Yards for tight ends increased in each of Fisher's first six years calling offensive plays for Florida State, from just 11 catches for 84 yards in 2007 to 25 grabs for 280 yards last year. The bulk of that 2012 total belonged to O'Leary (21 catches for 252 yards and three TDs), but it was still a pittance compared with what most fans have long expected from a player regarded as the best recruit Florida State has ever secured at the tight end position .

O'Leary's emergence in the opener was timed with Winston's debut, and that was no coincidence, he said.

"I knew I was going to be a lot more a part of the offense this year, being real good friends with Jameis," O'Leary said. "We had a real good relationship all camp, and he's a game-time player."

The combination worked brilliantly against Pittsburgh, and that could be a boon for Florida State in an area where the Seminoles weren't always at their best a year ago.

Against FBS competition in 2012, Florida State scored touchdowns on 65 percent of its trips inside the red zone. In 2011, it found the end zone just 56 percent of the time it drove inside the opposition's 20. O'Leary was the starting tight end both seasons, but he had managed just four career touchdowns before this year's opener.

Now, O'Leary believes he's turned a corner. The problem, however, is that other teams figure to take notice.

"They'll probably key on me a little more, probably have two guys on me," O'Leary said. "But I've got to do what I've got to do to get open, and it opens up other guys."

O'Leary won't get much support down the depth chart. Florida State doesn't have another healthy, established tight end on the roster. Giorgio Newberry is the current backup, having moved from defensive end at the start of fall camp.

But if O'Leary can develop into the player fans thought he would be when he arrived as one of the nation's top recruits in 2011, there won't be much need for Newberry. And if Winston continues to find O'Leary in the end zone, FSU's coaches may find it a lot easier to recruit talent at the tight end position moving forward.

"I'm ready to be one of the best tight ends to come out of Florida State," O'Leary said.

It's a short list, and it won't take many more games like the one he had in Pittsburgh to vault him to the top.

It's time for a fresh set of power rankings with another week in the books. The top four teams remain the same from last week, but there was some shuffling the rest of the way down.

1. Clemson (2-0, 0-0 ACC; last week: 1): The Tigers did what we all expected in a 52-13 win over South Carolina State. They also ended up moving up one spot in the AP poll to No. 3. Their big win over Georgia in Week 1 remains the crown jewel in the ACC crown after two weeks.

2. Florida State (1-0, 1-0 ACC; last week: 2): The Seminoles were off this past week after beating Pittsburgh in the opener. Let's see what Game 2 has in store for Jameis Winston this weekend against Nevada.

3. Miami (2-0, 0-0 ACC; last week: 3): The Hurricanes had the most impressive win in Week 2, over No. 12 Florida, which vaults them to No. 15 in the latest AP poll. But that win does nothing to change their standing in the ACC. There remains a clear gap between Clemson, Florida State and the rest of the league. Miami looks like it is starting to close the gap, but the Canes still have a long way to go -- especially after their offense struggled for most of the day against the Gators.

4. Georgia Tech (1-0 0-0 ACC; last week: 4): The Jackets were also off in Week 2, so all we have to judge them on is a blowout win over FCS Elon. The next five weeks will tell us what we need to know about this team, as the Jackets prepare to play at Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, at Miami and at BYU. That is one of the most brutal stretches any ACC team has to play this season.

5. North Carolina (1-1, 0-0 ACC; last week: 7): The truth is, you could flip flop the Tar Heels and Virginia Tech at this point. Despite their victories over the weekend, both have problems that must be addressed. For starters, North Carolina has to get the coin toss figured out. The defense was once again up and down. They need a more consistent, better effort out of that group.

6. Virginia Tech (1-1, 0-0 ACC; last week: 5): North Carolina gets the nod ahead of Virginia Tech for this week based on the quality of opponent it just played. The Tar Heels beat an FBS team, Virginia Tech an FCS team. I think we can all agree the Hokies have a formidable defense -- better than North Carolina's -- but the offense still has a ways to go to be respectable. Logan Thomas now has one touchdown pass and three interceptions on the season.

7. Virginia (1-1, 0-0 ACC; last week: 6): No. 2 Oregon boatraced the Hoos on Saturday, but the truth is, nobody really expected them to win the game. They stay in the top half of the rankings this week based on their win over BYU in the opener. That win looks a lot better today after BYU clobbered No. 15 Texas. Virginia enters a five-game stretch now with winnable games. If the Hoos can take advantage, they will be looking good for a bowl spot.

8. Maryland (2-0, 0-0 ACC; last week: 8): The Terps have beaten their first two opponents by a combined 90-20 and have not faced much of a test. The opponents' strength has been really weak, hence their spot here. Still, this is a team that has showed off its talent on offense in the first two weeks. C.J. Brown, in his return from a knee injury, ranks No. 3 in the nation in total QBR to lead all ACC quarterbacks. Chew on that one for a while.

9. Duke (2-0, 0-0 ACC; last week: 10): Give the Blue Devils credit for pulling out a road win in Memphis with backup quarterback Brandon Connette this past Saturday. You can write the win off by saying it was "only Memphis," but the Tigers are a rapidly improving team and Duke was on the ropes. Any road win is a good win for a team that won only once away from home last season.

10. NC State (2-0, 0-0 ACC; last week: 9): The Wolfpack get downgraded slightly for struggling to beat Richmond. While it is true the Spiders have caused FBS opponents fits, the Wolfpack nearly handed the game away with their own miscues. NC State had four turnovers, including three inside Richmond territory. Quarterback Pete Thomas struggled, throwing two interceptions. While he did lead the team into field goal range for the game winner, he has some work to do to improve.

11. Boston College (2-0, 1-0 ACC; last week: 14): The Eagles climb out of the cellar for the first time in a long time after their 24-10 win over Wake Forest. You can already see the difference new coach Steve Addazio has made in the program. His team is playing a lot more physically and with a lot more energy. That is best illustrated in Andre Williams, who is now averaging 5.5 yards per carry -- one full yard better than last season. The BC run game has gone from awful to respectable in a matter of weeks. The Eagles have now matched their win total from 2012.

12. Pittsburgh (0-1, 0-1 ACC; last week: 12): The Panthers were off last week, so they stay put here. The good news is they will not have to play a team as strong as Florida State the rest of the way in the ACC. They get New Mexico this week.

13. Wake Forest (1-1, 0-1 ACC; last week: 11): The Deacs were supposed to be better this season with so many veterans returning, but they looked completely lost against BC. The defense got gashed on the ground. The offense could not run, nor could it execute the option effectively. Not sure why coaches insisted on sticking with it when it was not working. Their inability to run the ball was a bugaboo last season, and it looks to be the same this season.

14. Syracuse (0-2, 0-0 ACC; last week: 13): The Orange have been the biggest disappointment in the ACC so far based on the first two games. No doubt they played a tough schedule to start against two Big Ten teams, but they were not even competitive in a loss to Northwestern this past weekend in which Drew Allen got benched after throwing four interceptions and the defense gave up 581 yards of total offense. Scott Shafer has some serious questions to answer before the season gets away from him.