Duke, Louisville set to meet as ranked teams for first time

Things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 9:

Game of the week No. 20 Duke at No. 18 Louisville, 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN):

The Blue Devils (5-2, 2-1 ACC) will be Louisville’s second visitor in a row to hold a national ranking. The Cardinals (6-1, 3-1) knocked off Notre Dame and might need similar energy after stumbling two weeks ago at Pittsburgh. Duke will be taking on a nationally ranked opponent for the fourth time this season after last week’s loss at No. 4 Florida State.

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard returned from an ankle injury to play against FSU, though he was hobbled during the game.

This is only the fourth all-time meeting, and the first with both teams ranked. One team will enter November on a two-game losing streak.

Best matchup

A season ago, Clemson and North Carolina State met with both teams ranked in the top 10. Now it’s two unranked teams trying to find consistency. Clemson (4-3, 2-3) lost in two overtimes Saturday night at Miami, while N.C. State (4-3, 1-2) has been off since an Oct. 14 defeat at Duke in which the Wolfpack managed just three points.

Record books will shift either way, too. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney is tied with Frank Howard as Clemson’s winningest coach with 165 wins, while Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren has 76 wins, putting him one behind Earle Edwards for the top spot at N.C. State.

Long shot

Wake Forest (4-3, 1-3) is a 20½-point home underdog against No. 4 Florida State (7-0, 5-0), according to FanDuel Sportsbook. But the Demon Deacons will try to win four straight against the Seminoles for the first time in program history.

QB Jordan Travis became Florida State’s all-time leader in total offense in last week’s win over Duke. Wake Forest could have some sorting out to do at quarterback if Mitch Griffis, who started the first six games, is ready to return from injury.

Impact player

Virginia, despite rating last in total defense in the ACC, has benefited from Jonas Sanker’s impact. The safety had seven tackles as the Cavaliers hung in against then-No. 10 North Carolina’s strong passing attack. He’s third in the ACC in tackles with 8.6 per game, while he has forced two fumbles and has been among the busiest players in the conference in pass coverage.

This week’s games

Thursday

Syracuse at Virginia Tech, late Saturday

No. 4 Florida State at

Wake Forest, noon, WVEC

UConn at Boston College, noon, ACC Network

Clemson at N.C. State, 2 p.m., WGNT

Virginia at Miami, 3 :3 0 p.m., ACCN

No. 2 0 Duke at

No. 1 8 Louisville, 3 :3 0 p.m., ESPN

Pitt at No. 1 4 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.,NBC/Peacock

No. 1 7 North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m., ACCN