WINSTON-SALEM – Wake Forest tried to dig itself out of a 17-point hole but kept making mistakes and fell 24-17 to Navy.

No. 16 Wake turned the ball over six times, including four interceptions thrown by Riley Skinner, but still had a chance to tie the game in the fourth. 

Wake was on the Navy 40 with more than five minutes to
go and down just a touchdown. But Skinner got picked off by Emmett Merchant, whose 12-yard return set up a Navy scoring drive.

On Saturday, 16th-ranked Wake Forest host Navy at BB&T Field. It's a team the Deacs defeated 44-24 last year, though trailed by three points in the second quarter.

It's a fast, hard-hitting Navy team, one with the top rushing offense in the nation. The Midshipmen are 2-1 and are coming off a 23-21 victory over Rutgers.
No one has to remind the Deacs.

• Jimbo Fisher's selfish mistake, why all the Miami love, Duke-UVa for I-AA bragging rights and potential trouble for Tommy Bowden and Clemson.

Florida State's rookie quarterbacks combined to produce three points and five interceptions in the Noles' ACC opener and Jimbo Fisher, in his infinite wisdom, is starting Christian Ponder, with D'Vontrey Richardson next in line if he fails, while leaving Drew Weatherford on the bench.

Bobby Bowden reiterated on today's conference call that Weatherford would not get a look against Colorado.

Say what you want about Weatherford, and it has all been said about the eighth-year senior, but with 33 career starts, he's the best option at quarterback to win right now.

Note: J.P. Giglio is one of 65 voters in the AP Top 25. This is his ballot.

Note, part 2: I'm guest-hosting on 850 the Buzz from 6 to 7 p.m. tonight. If you have any questions about the top 25, call in to the show (919-860-0850).

• JP Top 25 archive
• AP Top 25

Wake Forest and ECU make the biggest moves, in opposite directions.

Starting with the Deacs, they jump eight spots to No. 13 with the win at Florida State. That win will look even better in November when Florida State has 10 wins.

The Pirates drop 12 spots but I kept them in. The West Virginia win is getting counterfeited by the week but Virginia Tech’s win at Chapel Hill helped ECU’s cause. The Pirates are still a good team, despite what N.C. State or UNC fans claim.

Does anyone in the audience have Jeff Bowden’s cell phone number?

Wow, that’s exactly what a lot of Florida State fans have to be thinking today. Based on the Seminoles’ offensive performance, as designed by coordinator and head-coaching crown prince Jimbo Fisher in a 12-3 loss to Wake Forest in Doak-Campbell on Saturday, the program is
in a bad way.

And this part of it can’t be blamed on Bobby Bowden, who was virtually forced at the end of a flaming spear to fire son Jeff and hire Fisher away from LSU to engineer the offense after the 2006 season. Papa B can advise, but the entire offense is in Fisher’s hands.

• Late Hits archive

N.C. State: Old Milwaukee could have updated its "It doesn't get any better than this" commercials with a group of happy Wolfpackers on Saturday.

Not only did State beat a ranked ECU team, which was in the midst of a dream season, but UNC lost an important ACC game.

The only downer was, and stunning turn of events here, another injury. State needs a healthy linebacker Nate Irving to keep the momentum going against USF.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sam Swank missed three field goals but still was the only Deacon who could score. 

Not that it mattered. Florida State turned the ball over seven times, enabling Wake Forest to hold on to a 12-3 win — its third straight over the Seminoles.

With Wake's offense ineffective and unable to muster any
consistency in face of FSU defensive pressure, the Deac were able to control much of the game with defense.  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With one of the more experienced defenses in the ACC, nine returning starters, No. 18 Wake Forest looks to regroup from a less-than-stellar performance against Mississippi on Sept. 6., when the Deacons face 24th-ranked Florida State tonight at Doak Campbell Stadium.

One area the Deacs may look to expose is FSU's young offensive line.

The Triangle is not going to have a better Saturday for football than this one. The only way to make it better? The Pick Six.

What you don't know what the world famous Pick Six is? Team ACC Now, Caulton Tudor and Joe Giglio (me), pick six winners (straight up).

Staff video: Travis Long, Caulton Tudor, Joe Giglio

Topic: The best Saturday of the football season, maybe ever, for the state of North Carolina.

• The Podcast archive
• Low Rent Sports Talk Theatre