Florida State @ Syracuse preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 16, 2013 ) Syracuse 3, Florida State 59

Injury concerns for both teams will take center stage Saturday when No. 1 Florida State visits Syracuse in an ACC contest. The biggest issue for the Orange is the fractured fibula for quarterback Terrel Hunt, who could miss up to six weeks, leaving a trio of freshmen as possibilities under center. The defending BCS champion Seminoles could be without any combination of center Austin Barron (arm), All-American wideout Rashad Greene (concussion), running back Karlos Williams (leg) and quarterback Sean Maguire (hand), the primary backup to Jameis Winston.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher believes his team has the depth to survive the next few weeks, but at this point he just wants his team to stop dwelling on the burden of being ranked No. 1. "Sometimes it's like the pressure of playing today (is so much)," Fisher said. "You've got to win, you've got to do this. Are you dominant? Who cares? Who cares if you're dominant. Just keep getting better and be the team you are, and enjoy playing the game of football." The Seminoles have won six straight games against the Orange by the combined score of 229-54, including a 59-3 home win a season ago.

TV: Noon ET, ABC. LINE: Florida State -24.5

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (5-0, 3-0 ACC): The Seminoles extended the nation's longest active winning streak to 21 games with a 43-3 triumph against Wake Forest last Saturday as Roberto Aguayo kicked five field goals, giving him 21 straight successful kicks. Winston struggled but still threw for 297 yards and a touchdown, although he'll be hard-pressed to top last season's Syracuse game in which he was 19-of-21 for 277 yards and two scores. Florida State's defense has been inconsistent, having held Wake Forest to 126 yards last week after yielding 520 yards and 41 points to North Carolina State its previous time out.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (2-3, 0-1): The Orange's leading receiver each of the last two weeks has been Jarrod West, but he'll be challenged to have another big game given that his potential quarterbacks will be redshirt freshmen Austin Wilson and Mitch Kimble and true freshman A.J. Long. "The thing you never know is (how good they are) until they get out there," said Syracuse coach Scott Shafer, whose team has lost three in a row with an offense trending in the wrong direction (20, 15 and six points the last three weeks, respectively). Hunt is also the team's leading rusher with 307 yards and has scored six of the Orange's eight rushing touchdowns, although Prince-Tyson Gulley and Adonis Ameen-Moore are each averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Greene needs four catches to break the Florida State record of 212, set by Ron Sellers (1966-68).

2. Syracuse relieved offensive coordinator George McDonald of his duties this week, replacing him with quarterbacks coach Tim Lester.

3. In last season's matchup, the Seminoles averaged 11.8 yards per rush and limited the Orange to 2.9 yards per carry.

PREDICTION: Florida State 37, Syracuse 9