It may be the toughest four-game stretch on any schedule in the nation and for North Carolina it begins in the toughest place to play in the ACC.

UNC (2-2, 1-1 ACC) faces No. 9 Florida State (2-1, 1-1) at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday at noon. The Seminoles have only lost once to an ACC opponent at home since joining the league in 1992. The Tar Heels, who came away with a 10-10 tie on their first trip to FSU in 1986, are 0-6-1 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Next week, UNC hosts rival N.C. State (2-1), who is coming off a dramatic 17-16 win over Virginia Tech, before traveling to No. 14 Utah (4-0), who is widely considered to have best chance of receiving an at-large bid to the BCS bowl bid. After a week off, No. 4 Miami (3-0) makes a visit to Chapel Hill.

Still, playing at Florida State, despite the Seminoles loss to the Hurricanes in the league’s hype-filled season opener, may be the most anticipated and overwhelming game of season for the Tar Heels.

“You try to get ready for every game the same, but with this one game the intensity level in practice and competition level goes up this week,” UNC junior linebacker Mahlon Carey said. “I went to Doak as a freshman and it’s the best place I have played at. I don’t know if it’s the Indian (Chief Osceola), but the extra hairs stand up on the back of your neck there. There is just a lot of excitement there.”

UNC is coming off an embarrassing 34-0 loss to No. 22 Louisville in Chapel Hill, N.C., last week. FSU beat Clemson in Bowden Bowl VI, 41-22.

Here’s a detailed look at how the teams matchup against one another:

This is definitely not the time for UNC’s offense to be coming off its worst performance in two years. FSU ranks fourth nationally in total defense (227.0 yards a game) and leads the ACC in rush defense (56.7 rushing yards a game).

FLORIDA STATE 2-1 (1-1)

Coach: Bobby Bowden Record at FSU: 271-68-4 Overall Record: 344-100-4 2003 Record: 10-3 (7-1) Returning Starters: 9 Off., 4 Def., 3 ST Rankings: AP: 9, ESPN: 11 Schedule | Roster Statistics | Standings Official Site | Rivals Site Forums: Free Board

“FSU’s defense doesn’t do a lot of wild and crazy things like Louisville,” UNC head coach John Bunting said. “They are just real, real good. They have five or six first-round draft choices on that defense and are so amazingly fast it’s unbelievable. They play hard every snap and you see players sprinting 20-30 yards every play.”

UNC managed just 222 yards and didn’t reach the red zone until the fourth quarter last week. The Tar Heels hadn’t been shutout in 14 games, when FSU picked up 553 yards of total offense in a 37-0 romp in their 2003 season opener, the last meeting between the two programs.

Ronnie McGill made his debut in that lopsided loss, turning 12 carries into 48 yards. But, the Seminoles haven’t been concerned with UNC’s starting sophomore running back this week. For the second straight game, the punishing runner won’t play due to a severely sprained ankle. He won’t even be traveling to the game.

The smaller and more speedy senior tandem of Jacque Lewis and Chad Scott will split carries for the Tar Heels. Lewis, the starter, leads the team with 344 yards on the ground, but was limited to 29 yards on eight carries after missing most of the second half with a shoulder injury last week.

Lewis did miss Monday’s practice, but is expected to play and be near 100 percent.

The Tar Heels' fortunes rest heavily on senior quarterback Darian Durant, who holds nearly 50 school records. The four-year starter entered the season regarded as one of the ACC’s top signal callers, but has struggled with his accuracy and decision-making. His 80 passing yards last week were the lowest total he had since 2001 and he has thrown at least one interception in nine straight games.

UNC’s offensive line features two seniors and three-year starters in center Jason Brown and right tackle Willie McNeill. Bunting said McNeill will play despite news of the him being charged with trespassing at a Durham park in late August coming out this week. McNeill was also charged with possession of marijuana in March and completed a treatment program.

Junior right guard Kyle Ralph, who took over for the injured Skip Seagraves, freshman left guard Charlston Gray and junior left tackle Brian Chacos round out the starting O-line. Junior right guard Steven Bell will likely play a significant number of snaps as well.

The Tar Heels feature a deep and talented receiving corps. Seven different wideouts have caught passes, including sophomore Adarius Bowman (6-4, 217), who has hauled in 13 passes for 219 yards -- both team highs. Bunting has said sophomore Jesse Holley, considered the best blocker of the group, will play more against the ‘Noles.

Florida State’s defense is very deep, rotating two players at nearly every position.

The defensive line is led by senior tackle Travis Johnson (6-5, 290), who has a team-high 6 ½ tackles for a loss. Seniors Chauncey Davis and Eric Moore are the starting ends and can cause several problems. Moore had four tackles, including 1 ½ sacks, a forced fumble and a broken up pass against the Tigers.

Sophomore Buster Davis starts at middle linebacker with classmate Ernie Sims on one side and junior A.J. Nicholson on the other.

Nicholson, whose father played linebacker at UNC alongside Lawrence Taylor, has collected a team-high 18 tackles. He verbally committed to the Tar Heels before signing with FSU.

“I get a little extra boost going against the Tar Heels because it is my dad's old team," Nicholson said.

Ranked the No. 1 recruit from the class of 2003, Sims came to FSU with lofty expectations. A hard-hitter and intimidating player, he grabbed a starting job after the loss to UM.

The secondary is loaded with feared individuals. Junior free safety Pat Watkins and senior cornerback Leroy Smith, both each have five career interceptions. Hard-hitting strong safety Jerome Carter and cornerback Bryant McFadden are the other two starters. Expect sophomore Antonio Cromartie, one of the team’s biggest playmakers, to also play a significant number of snaps.

Watkins and Carter may be asked to play the whole game with injuries to second-string senior safeties Kyler Hall and B.J. Ward. Hall is out with a neck injury and Bowden recently told Warchant.com that Ward probably won’t play due to an ankle injury.

Expect, UNC to use a one-back formation with two tight ends even more than usual. The coaches will want to protect Durant and have him throw a lot of screen passes and short throws to running backs.

The Tar Heels’ will try to keep their running game inside the tackles for the most part. Brown and others must be able to neutralize Johnson to free up Lewis and Scott for long gains.

Florida State’s front seven plays very aggressively, blitzing regularly and also taking gambles. The cornerbacks are often left in man-to-man coverage, and Durant will be given chances to throw the ball deep.

ADVANTAGE: Florida State -- The Seminoles’ defense has a chance to be one of the best in school history.

If ACC quarterbacks were given the chance to decide when they would make their debuts, many would probably wait until North Carolina popped up on the schedule.

NORTH CAROLINA 2-2 (1-1)

Coach: John Bunting Record at UNC: 15-26 Overall Record: 53-40-2 2003 Record: 2-10 (1-7) Returning Starters: 8 Off., 7 Def., 1 ST Rankings: NR Schedule | Roster Statistics | Standings Depth Chart Forums: The Bell Tower (Premium) Tar Heel Blitz

This week, may be the exception. The Tar Heels defense showed signs of making a real turnaround for the first time all season against Louisville’s high-powered attack. They still allowed 455 yards, but came up with a pair of key third-down stops that limited the Cardinals to a field-goal attempt and just 10 points in the first half.

FSU sophomore quarterback Wyatt Sexton will receive his first start in place of injured senior Chris Rix, who suffered a sprained ankle in the first quarter against Clemson. Sexton, who completed 17 of 26 passes for 162 yards and the team’s first touchdown pass against the Tigers, may have started regardless. FSU head coach Bobby Bowden nearly switched his signal callers earlier this month.

Sexton, who was heavily recruited by UNC, isn’t nearly as athletic or fast as Rix. He is a true drop-back passer and comes from a football family. His father is longtime FSU running backs coach Billy Sexton.

Sexton won’t have to be concerned with a radical defensive scheme either. The Tar Heels’ run a traditional 4-3 defense without many adjustments.

The one minor change will come on the defensive line, where highly touted true freshman Khalif Mitchell (6-6, 293) will move from tackle to end. Redshirt freshman Kyndraus Guy (6-2, 269) will move from end to tackle.

Bunting and his staff think the switch may finally help create some consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and also give senior tackle Jonas Seawright (6-6, 306) a partner to help plug up running lanes on the interior.

Sophomore middle linebacker Fred Sparkman is tied for second in the ACC with 10.2 tackles a game. Juniors Tommy Richardson and Carey, who is averaging 7.2 tackles a game, will start alongside Sparkman.

The secondary is led by senior strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who has delivered a handful of hard hits already this season. Sophomore Kareen Taylor and junior Linwood Williams have taken turns starting at free safety. Sophomore Jacoby Watkins and junior Cedrick Holt are the starting corners.

Florida State’s multi-dimensional offense isn’t as aggressive and daring as when Georgia head coach Mark Richt was the offensive coordinator. But, its still loaded with playmakers.

The dangerous tandem of junior Leon Washington and sophomore Lorenzo Booker split carries in the backfield. Washington, the starter, can run with power and also break long gains and Booker is one of the fastest players in the ACC.

Senior receiver Craphonso Thorpe is also one of the league’s fastest players and a candidate for the Biletnikoff Award. Senior Chauncey Stovall caught seven passes for 96 yards and a TD against Clemson. Sophomore wideout Chris Davis is questionable with a knee injury.

The offensive line has been banged up all season, but appears to finally be getting healthy for the most part. Senior David Castillo is considered one of the best centers in the ACC and senior left tackle Alex Barron (6-6, 308), an All-American in 2003, is expected to be a first-round draft pick. Sophomore back-up center John Frady will miss the game with an elbow injury.

ADVANTAGE: Florida State -- One of the league’s best offenses against one of the league’s worst defenses.

Mike Mason was probably drooling watching the game film of FSU’s remarkably sloppy kickoff coverage last week.

SERIES NOTES

Carolina defeated FSU, 41-9, in 2001 to give John Bunting his first win as UNC's head coach. Since FSU joined the ACC, the closest margin of victory for either team is 13 points (FSU, 31-18 in 1994; FSU 13-0 in 1996).

Clemson’s Justin Miller set a Division I-A record with 282 yards on six kickoff returns, including 86 and 97-yard TD runs. On both scores he was nearly untouched.

Mason, who is a dangerous threat with his speed, is UNC’s main kick returner and is averaging 23.3 yards a return.

FSU has one of the nation’s most experienced kickers in senior and four-year starter Xavier Beitia, who has made 5-of-7 field goals this season. Junior punter Chris Hall had three kicks land inside the 20 against Clemson.

The probable absence of Ward will also be a blow to special teams units. He is tied for the school record with seven blocked kicks.

UNC’s freshman place kicker Connor Barth has yet to be really tested, making 1-of-2 field goal attempts. Sophomore David Wooldridge, who was suspended last week for being charged with misdemeanor larceny, will return to handling the punting duties.

ADVANTAGE: North Carolina -- What Miller did last week is just too scary.

Notes: UNC has four players from the Tallahassee area (Calvin Darity, Roger Heinz, Brian Rackley, Del Roberts)…Pam Ward and Mike Tomczack will be doing the play-by-play and color for the broadcast of the game on ESPN 2.…This is the third time in their last four games that UNC has faced a top 25 team…This is parents weekend at Florida State.

Mitchell, Guy talk about switching positionsClick Here to view this Link.

Scouting Spotlight: Heels prepare for SextonClick Here to view this Link.

Heinz warns teammates about FSU's SimsClick Here to view this Link.