Boston College @ Florida State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 3, 2009 ) Florida State 21, Boston College 28

Death, taxes and Florida State’s dominion over the rest of the ACC used to be things that could be counted on as certainties in life.

The Seminoles stumbled a bit the last few years, but have apparently restored order to the world by reclaiming their perch over the rest of the conference — a fact punctuated by the Seminoles’ 45-17 dismantling of state rival Miami last week. Now ranked 17th nationally, the Seminoles return home to face Boston College riding an impressive four-game winning streak.

FSU has outscored its opposition by an average of nearly 26 points per game in cruising to its best start to a season in five years. The ‘Noles have stood at 3-0 in ACC play on 10 different occasions since joining the league in 1992 and have won the conference championship each time.

Tailback Jermaine Thomas rushed 16 times for 78 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving), while quarterback Christian Ponder passed for 173 yards and two more scores as Florida State rolled to the big win over the ‘Canes.

The Seminoles once again appear stout on defense, leading the nation in sacks with sophomore defensive end Brandon Jenkins pacing the way with 0.83 per game. As a team, FSU is averaging 4.33 sacks per contest.

The Seminoles defense has surrendered just 94 points this season, half (47) of which came in a 47-17 loss at Oklahoma on Sept. 11.

Boston College is in the midst of its first three-game losing skid since 1998 following last Saturday’s 44-17 thumping at N.C. State, and can blame shoddy quarterback play for most of its problems. Struggling Dave Shinskie started last week in place of injured freshman Chase Rettig (ankle), but completed just 7 of 24 attempts for 89 yards and two interceptions, including one that was taken back for a touchdown, before being benched for Mike Marscovetra. Rettig is day-to-day and his status for this weekend is unclear.

For the season, BC quarterbacks have collectively completed a little more than 52 percent of their passes while throwing 10 interceptions to eight touchdowns.

The Eagles’ offensive problems have somewhat overshadowed a stellar performance to date by the team’s defense. Sophomore linebacker Luke Kuechly was a one-man wrecking crew in Raleigh last weekend, totaling 20 tackles, including 13 solo stops for career-highs in both categories. The ball-hawking Kuechly now leads the nation in tackles per game at 14.2 per contest.

The road team has won four of the last five games between the two schools.

Florida State will honor members of the armed forces who have been injured during America’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan during the game.