There's a full slate of games in the ACC this week, as all 12 teams are in action on Saturday afternoon. Although there are no marquee top-25 games, there are some crucial conference matchups, including Florida State-Miami and Virginia Tech-Clemson. Duke hopes to get bowl eligible against North Carolina, while Virginia looks to end a five-game losing streak with a win over Wake Forest.

Other Week 8 Previews and Predictions

Each week, the Athlon editors and others who closely follow college football vote on the most prestigious award in the sport. A 13-man conglomerate of college football gurus from Athlon Sports and other publications cast their votes this week for their top Heisman Trophy candidates. The votes will be tallied and the results will be posted as the Athlon Sports Heisman Watch List every week of the regular season.

The first half of the season has been an up and down affair for the ACC. After watching Florida State climb into the top five of the polls, the Seminoles suffered a disappointing loss to NC State, effectively ending any national title hopes. While the ACC is without a national championship contender, this conference still has a lot of intrigue to follow in the second half of the year. The Coastal Division is wide open, while the Seminoles, Clemson and NC State figure to be locked in a tight battle for the Atlantic crown.

The first BCS standings for 2012 began where they ended in 2011 -- with an all-SEC title game scenario.

With only four games on the Week 7 slate, it's a relatively quiet Saturday of action in the ACC. Florida State looks to bounce back after last week's disappointing loss to NC State, as struggling Boston College visits Tallahassee. The North Carolina-Miami is the ACC's best matchup for Week 7 and should be an entertaining offensive affair with both teams averaging over 30 points a game.

Other Week 7 Previews and Predictions

With Florida State's loss to NC State, the ACC is officially out of the national title race. The Seminoles were the conference's best hope at finishing No. 1 or No. 2 in the BCS, but the championship dreams will have to wait another year. Clemson kept its ACC title hopes alive with a victory over Georgia Tech, while Duke improved to 5-1 with a win over Virginia. 

Offensive Player of the Year Standings

Statement games littered the Saturday football lineup. For South Carolina, a statement of dominance. For Florida, a statement of a return to the national scene. For Ohio State, a statement the Buckeyes are the Big Ten’s best, postseason or no postseason.

As the calendar turns to October, the focus shifts from non-conference games to winning a conference title. The ACC had one marquee game in Week 4, as Florida State beat Clemson to remain in the mix for the national title. Week 6 is the perfect balance for the ACC, as there are solid conference games between Clemson-Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech-North Carolina and Florida State-NC State, while Notre Dame-Miami is a non-conference game with plenty of national interest. 

Other Week 6 Previews and Predictions

Week 5 of ACC action didn't have a marquee game like Florida State-Clemson but still provided plenty of intrigue. Miami-NC State was one of the weekend's most entertaining games, while Florida State and Clemson took care of business on the road. On the downside, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech lost non-conference games. Duke improved to 4-1 with a victory over Wake Forest.

Offensive Player of the Year Standings

The final weekend of college football action in September certainly won't win many awards for the best slate of games. The Week 5 schedule features some intriguing games (Ohio State-Michigan State), but nothing like college football fans experienced last Saturday with Clemson-Florida State, Kansas State-Oklahoma and Notre Dame-Michigan. However, it's the weeks we least expect to be exciting that end up producing several upsets and close calls among teams ranked in the top 25.

Top Storylines to Watch in Week 5