Game time: Noon, Saturday
TV: ABC
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The loss was Florida State's third in a row, but easily the most unexpected.
Florida State had fallen to No. 1 Oklahoma in Tallahassee on Sept. 17, 2011. The following week the Seminoles came up short at No. 22 Clemson despite a 336-yard, three-touchdown passing game from backup quarterback Clint Trickett.
That meant Florida State was supposed to rebound and win at Wake Forest, and do so soundly. Perhaps the Seminoles could send a message that although they weren't the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference they were still going to make some noise.
Instead, Florida State lost, 35-30, to a Wake Forest team that was loaded with Florida-born prospects. Trickett started and struggled, EJ Manuel was then deemed healthy enough to play in the second half, but the Seminoles still lost.
"That was just a lack of focus on our part, lack of focus on preparation and everything," FSU senior linebacker Telvin Smith said. "That's one thing I don't worry about with this team. I don't have that same feeling going into the game with the team that I have now."
Florida State was 2-3 at the time and rebounded for a 9-4 finish by beating Miami, Florida and Notre Dame. There were real questions about how much progress the program was making in a season that included ACC losses to Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia.
Fast forward two years: Since that 2011 loss at Winston-Salem, N.C., Florida State is 27-3 as it prepares for its next trip to Wake Forest.
Its win over N.C. State a few weeks ago was about revenge over what the Wolfpack did in 2012 (a 17-16 win over the Seminoles). Yet this week isn't about revenge. It's simply a sign of how far Florida State has come.
"We've learned from our mistakes, but at the same time I remember that football team was very beat up," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "We had three or four guys on offense that were banged up, bruised and we had a very beat up team. ...
"From that we've learned. I think we've learned to get better and improve every game. That seems like a long time ago, we've evolved and hopefully we can learn and continue to evolve."
And after Stanford's upset of Oregon, Florida State has now evolved into a team that could play in January's national title game.
1. If the Seminoles defeat Wake Forest, they will capture the ACC's Atlantic Division title. How dominant has Florida State been in divisional games? Florida State has outscored its four opponents, 211-65, including a shutout of Maryland and a 37-point win at then-No. 3 Clemson.
2. Coaches probably cringe every time they hear a journalist or fan mention the words "style points." And in truth, it's silly that margin of victory plays such a significant part in the polls and computer rankings. But it clearly does. On the other hand, there's no point leaving starters in during the second half of a possible blowout. It's a fine line, and Fisher will again have to be careful on Saturday against Wake. If Florida State is ahead by four or five touchdowns by halftime, expect backup quarterback Jacob Coker and the second-team offense and defense to take Florida State the rest of the way home.
3. Florida State has never had an offensive run quite like this. Not even in the dominating 1993 and '99 national championship seasons. The Seminoles have scored 40 or more points in each of their eight games this season, breaking the school record (the 1995 team did it in seven straight games). Florida State is averaging 51.1 points per game, second in school history to that '95 team.
4. Jameis Winston is well on his way to what could be a Heisman Trophy season and one of the best passing seasons in Florida State history. There have been just eight 3,000-yard seasons by Seminoles quarterbacks. Winston is 498 yards away, likely far too much to hit against Wake, but he should be set up well to get that on Nov. 16 at home vs. Syracuse.
5. Fans and the media probably put way too much on the fact that Florida State hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Warrick Dunn in 1996. In the end, it's a quirky streak. And the 1999 team even won a title without a 1,000-yard rusher. Everyone at Florida State says the right things, but they all want it to happen. Junior Devonta Freeman is certainly on pace. He has 639 rushing yards and is averaging nearly 80 yards per game. With four regular-season games, likely an ACC championship game and a bowl game left, Freeman should hit that benchmark. He could also have a big rushing day over the next few weeks against struggling teams like Wake, Syracuse and Idaho, and be very close to 1,000 going into the Florida game.
* Jimbo Fisher is 39-10 in his three-plus seasons at Florida State. No ACC coach has done better in his first four seasons. Maryland's Ralph Friedgen had 36 from 2001-04. Fisher has five or six games left to add to his totals.
* With each game, Rashad Greene moves up the top-10 list of the all-time Florida State receivers. His 2,110 receiving yards is 10th all-time. His 21 receiving TDs put him in a tie for seventh with two NFL receivers (one retired, one current): Jessie Hester and Anquan Boldin. That's good company.
* When Florida State lost three receivers in the preseason, there were immediate concerns about depth. Scooter Haggins (knee) Willie Haulstead (academics) and Greg Dent (criminal charges) were all expected to be backups but see significant playing time. So Florida State found a capable No. 4 receiver by going a different route, utilizing tight end Nick O'Leary more often. O'Leary has 20 catches for 352 yards and six touchdowns. He's also improved significantly as a blocker during his junior season.
* Tanner Price is an underrated and talented quarterback (he quietly had a 3,000-yard season in 2011). The lack of a running game has hurt Wake in 2013 and has put pressure on Price to deliver. Now Wake's top receiver, Michael Campanaro, will miss the rest of the regular season with a broken collarbone. Campanaro had 67 receptions in 2013. Wake's next best receivers each had 15 -- Jonathan Williams and Sherman Ragland III. Price will have to rally Wake around them.
* Few nose guards are effective at 250 pounds, but Wake's Nikita Whitlock does it week after week. Whitlock leads the team with seven sacks and is third on the Demon Deacons with 60 tackles. Florida State center Bryan Stork will have his hands full on Saturday, and he will likely get help as Whitlock should see plenty of double-teams.
"My eyes are fine. I always had contacts, I just don't wear them. I heard a lot about that. ... If you see the other players, they squint at the sideline too. I squint a lot. It's a habit."
-- Quarterback Jameis Winston, who was frequently caught by TV cameras squinting at the sideline for play calls during the Florida State-Miami game
"The ultimate goal is to stay perfect within the team. It's not our record, it's not any of that. It's just as a team to tell the nation, to say, 'We're the best.' And that's all we're trying to prove -- that we're the best."
-- Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith
"We haven't really played our best game yet. There's still a lot we can do."
-- Florida State sophomore linebacker Terrance Smith
"A lot of starts and stops. Shoulder injuries, concussions, head injuries and stuff like that. I was excited to be out there and get going back again, getting back out there with my brothers."
-- James Wilder Jr., who missed the N.C. State game with a concussion but had two TDs vs. Miami last week
"He's the guy we go to, and when he's out, it makes it tough. Going forward without Camp, somebody's got to decide if they want to be that guy."
-- Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe on the loss of star receiver Michael Campanaro to a collarbone injury
1. Florida State's defense has allowed just four rushing touchdowns in eight games. But even more impressive: all have come after halftime, with the game's result no longer in doubt (and often against the second-team defense). Bethune-Cookman had a rushing TD in the third quarter, Clemson with 13 seconds left in the game, and N.C. State had one in the third quarter and another in the fourth.
2. Florida State has won 12 straight ACC games. In those games, the offense is averaging nearly 500 yards per game. It's the longest ACC win streak for the Seminoles since they rattled off 24 straight from 1998-2001.
3. The Seminoles are scoring touchdowns on 53.8 percent of their drives, third-best nationally to only Baylor and Ohio State.
4. Florida State never trailed in an October game. And the Seminoles haven't been behind since the second quarter at Boston College.
5. Florida State was 6 of 6 in the red zone against Miami. The Seminoles failed to score just once this season when inside the opponent's 20, getting a TD or field goal 44 of 45 times. They lead the nation with a 97.8 percent success rate.
6. Winston (2,502 passing yards) could also shatter the ACC freshman passing yardage mark. Just two ACC freshmen have ever hit 3,000 passing yards -- Florida State's Drew Weatherford in 2005 (3,208) and North Carolina State's Philip Rivers in 2000 (3,054). Through just eight games, Winston's yardage is the sixth best in ACC history among freshman quarterbacks.
7. Oddly, Winston is a 64.1 percent passer in the first quarter. But in the fourth, he completes 77.8 percent of his passes.
8. Florida State is No. 2 in the nation in passing yards allowed per game (158.5). And that's after replacing a first-round pick at corner (Xavier Rhodes) and losing a standout safety (Tyler Hunter) early in the season.
9. Florida State's defense has forced 16 turnovers. The Seminoles' offense has scored on 14 of the ensuing drives.
10. Roberto Aguayo may miss, eventually, but so far he has made 65 straight kicks (12 field-goal attempts and 53 extra-point attempts) to begin his Florida State career.
Wake Forest is one-dimensional on offense. That dimension took a major hit with Campanaro's injury.
The Demon Deacons have been a major thorn in Florida State's side over the years, but this team lacks the scoring punch or defense to slow down the Seminoles. Expect Florida State to be comfortably ahead by halftime and play backups in the second half.
