No. 13 Florida State (10-2, 7-1 ACC) vs. Georgia Tech  (6-6, 5-3 ACC)

Kickoff: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Forecast: Mostly cloudy, temperatures in the 40s.

Spread: Florida State by 14.

Watchability: Both Florida State and Georgia Tech are coming off disappointing losses to their in-state rivals from the SEC and will need to regroup to earn a trip to the Orange Bowl. There is some intrigue in that Florida State and Georgia Tech have not met since 2009, meaning the teams have not played since Jimbo Fisher took over as head coach in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are also dealing with a potential distraction with defensive coordinator Mark Stoops taking the head coaching job at Kentucky. If Georgia Tech’s option offense does not get Stoops’ full attention, this game could be closer than many believe.

Shining stars: Florida State -- QB EJ Manuel is second in the league in passing efficiency (160.0). He has thrown for 2,967 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Seminoles will go as Manuel goes Saturday night. Georgia Tech -- QB Tevin Washington has been battling for his job with QB Vad Lee seemingly week in and week out, but Washington leads the ACC with 18 rushing touchdowns. He has 618 rushing yards this season and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

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Who could steal the show: Florida State -- WR Rashad Greene leads the Seminoles with 43 receptions for 614 yards and five receiving touchdowns. He also is a threat on special teams with two punts returned for scores. Georgia Tech -- A-back Orwin Smith missed last week’s game against Georgia with an ankle injury, but he expects to play Saturday. Smith leads the Yellow Jackets with 673 rushing yards and averages 9.0 yards per carry. He is also second on the team with 271 receiving yards.

Magic number for Florida State: 98. Florida State has outscored its opponents by 98 points in the first quarter this season, 131-33. A good start would go a long way for the Seminoles on Saturday, especially considering Georgia Tech’s offense is suited much better for playing with a lead rather than a deficit.

Magic number for Georgia Tech: 248. Georgia Tech is giving up 248 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 78 nationally. The Yellow Jackets have held just two opponents to under 55.3 percent passing -- FCS opponent Presbyterian and Maryland, which was starting LB Shawn Petty under center.

3 keys to a Florida State win

  • Defensive line play: Florida State received some bad news this week as DE Cornellius Carradine has been lost for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL he suffered against Florida. Carradine is the team’s leading tackler, and now, the Seminoles will rely on a couple of freshmen -- Giorgio Newberry and Mario Edwards Jr -- to take his place. Against Georgia Tech’s option, discipline is key as one missed assignment can mean a big play. If Florida State controls the line of scrimmage on defense, it should win the game easily.
  • Turnovers: The Seminoles are minus-5 in turnover margin this season, and they repeatedly got in their own way last week, turning the ball over five times against Florida. In its last six games, Florida State has turned the ball over 17 times and has at least two turnovers in each of those games.
  • Run the ball: Florida State’s lowest rushing outputs have come against NC State (125 yards), Virginia Tech (minus-15 yards), and Florida (112 yards). The Seminoles lost to both NC State and Florida, and they needed a last-minute drive to win at Virginia Tech. Florida State’s offense begins with establishing the run.

3 keys to a Georgia Tech win

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  • Red zone efficiency: The Yellow Jackets rank No. 85 nationally in red-zone efficiency, scoring on 78 percent of their trips inside the red zone. Last week, Georgia Tech entered the red zone four times at Georgia but came away with points on just one occasion. The Yellow Jackets have to make the most of their scoring opportunities against Florida State.
  • Rush the passer: Georgia Tech has 25 sacks on the year, and eleven of those sacks came during the Yellow Jackets’ recent three-game winning streak which preceded the loss to Georgia. If Georgia Tech wants to pull off the upset, it will have to find ways to get after Manuel and force him into some mistakes.
  • Win the special teams battle: Georgia Tech has been good in the return category with DB Jamal Golden returning two kickoffs for touchdowns this year. However, the Yellow Jackets have been bad in the field-goal kicking department as three kickers have combined to make just 8 of their 15 attempts. Considering the talent gap, it’s tough to envision Georgia Tech pulling off an upset if it doesn’t outplay Florida State on special teams.

Prediction:  Florida State 38, Georgia Tech 27

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.