It's Chris Rix redux for Florida State, a football program that has been through this whole thing before. Maybe you remember last season -- the Seminoles' worst in 15 years.

Top QBs Prepare To Duel

Two of Conference USA's better NFL prospects square off this week at Tulane, where Cincinnati and quarterback Gino Guidugli play the Green Wave and quarterback J.P. Losman in a game that could, frankly, take a while. Sit back and enjoy. Guidugli leads C-USA and is seventh nationally at 310.2 passing yards per game, with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. He throws to the top three receivers in the league -- LaDaris Vann (31 catches), Jon Olinger (26) and Tye Keith (24). "Gino is somewhat the Pied Piper of our offense," says Cincinnati coach Rick Minter. "Kids believe in him. They know when the ball's in his hands, good things can happen." Losman, who attempts 10 fewer passes per game than Guidugli, averages 207 passing yards and has a better touchdown-interception ratio (9 TDs, 6 INTs) and a higher completion rate (59.2 percent to Guidugli's 55.6 percent). He's operating the same spread offense run by Patrick Ramsey, the Washington Redskins' first-round pick in 2002 and starting quarterback. "Tulane's offense has not dropped off from last year," Minter said. "They run the spread offense, the no-huddle style, as well as anybody in the country right now." The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Guidugli, the Mr. Kentucky runner-up as a high school senior, set all kinds of records as a true freshman when he threw for 2,498 yards. The 6-3, 202-pound Losman, one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school in California and a transfer from UCLA, is in his first full season as starter after spending last season behind Ramsey. Both quarterbacks emerged against Army. Guidugli was Adam Hoover's backup last season until Hoover suffered a torn knee ligament against the Cadets. Off the bench, Guidugli threw for 311 yards -- his first of four 300-yard games that season. Losman made just one start in 2001, also against Army, and posted the No. 8 single-game total in Tulane history with 384 yards. Their arms ought to be good and loose after last week. Guidugli threw for 353 yards against Miami (Ohio), including 13 completions for 240 yards to Olinger. Losman threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe. "I was pleased for him," Tulane coach Rick Scelfo said. "He's worked hard. I think he got a lot more help this Saturday than he has in the past. We still had four, five dropped balls, but that number was cut in half." Another matchup of note in this game is between kickers Jonathan Ruffin of Cincinnati and Seth Marler of Tulane, the last two winners of the Groza Award given to the country's top kicker. Ruffin and Marler are on pace to finish their careers No. 1 and No. 2 -- in varying orders -- in every major C-USA kicking category. Adding to the intrigue is the homecoming of Ruffin, who is from the New Orleans suburb of Metairie and who tied a Cincinnati record with four field goals on his last trip to Tulane. -- Gregg Doyel

The 2001 Seminoles weren't as deep or experienced as usual, true, but they were also torn asunder by their situation at quarterback. Rix, a redshirt freshman who had studied under somber old-timer Chris Weinke, alienated some teammates with his aloof demeanor and alienated others by beating out his apparently more popular teammate, Adrian McPherson.

Add it all up, and you get 8-4, Florida State's worst record since a 7-4-1 finish in 1986.

The Seminoles (5-1), who play Saturday at No. 1 Miami (5-0), could be headed for another four-loss season. If it happens, one culprit would be the schedule, which has Florida State playing road games at Louisville (a 26-20 loss on Sept. 26), Miami and No. 14 NC State (Nov. 23), plus a home date with No. 16 Florida (Nov. 30).

Another culprit would be chemistry, or lack thereof, with Rix the Bunsen burner. Last season senior receiver Atrews Bell was Rix's most vocal critic, getting inside Rix's head to the point that Rix actually wrote "get 26 the ball" on his wrist tape before one game. Bell wore No. 26.

This season, one of Rix's bigger critics has been No. 4, Anquan Boldin, who hasn't quite come out with his displeasure in public but who -- clearly -- has been frustrated with Rix during games.

"The chemistry is pretty good," Boldin told ESPN.com. "I do think we haven't played that complete game yet. We're still waiting for that. It's only a matter of time."

Boldin was asked: Would Rix be the quarterback for that complete game?

"It can happen with anybody back there," he said.

The fissure between Rix and some teammates first yawned open after the Seminoles' loss to Louisville, when Rix was 14-for-33 for 173 yards. He only threw one interception in the driving rain, but it came in overtime. His most heinous crime, in teammates' eyes, seemed to be his 10 carries for nine yards. Let's just say FSU wasn't running the option that night.

"Guys will be open out there, and he just takes three steps and tucks the ball and runs," FSU center Antoine Mirambeau told reporters after the game. "It's like we're running quarterback draws every time and that kind of irritates us as offensive linemen."

FSU coach Bobby Bowden fears that kind of talk has allowed disapproving teammates to get inside Rix's head again. He said Rix was indecisive late in the Louisville game and again last week in a 48-31 victory at home against Clemson, afraid to leave the pocket too early. Mobility, one of Rix's strong suits, had been removed from his arsenal.

So had fan support, at least early in the Clemson game. Students waved signs in support of McPherson and -- some of them -- booed Rix, especially when he tucked the ball and ran.

"We have finally reached maturity," Bowden said incredulously. "We boo our quarterback."

At one point, Rix stared defiantly at a pocket of boo-birds.

"I just gave 'em a little look and said, 'OK, we'll see what the tone is at the end of the game,'" Rix told The Tampa Tribune. "I didn't hear anything but cheers. ... and I didn't see any more signs.

"We'll see what signs are up in the future."

If chemistry remains an issue at FSU, the signs will be obvious.

Around the ACC

Clemson
The Tigers' offensive output has increased every week, but at Virginia they'll have to do some work to surpass last week's 441 yards against Florida State. ... Coach Tommy Bowden's first win at Clemson was against Virginia in 1999.

Duke
Promising linebacker Brendan Dewan returned from a broken leg against Virginia, posting seven tackles. ... The Duke offense is picking up, averaging 426 yards over the past four games.

Florida State
Little-remember fact about the Seminoles' 49-27 loss to Miami: FSU outgained the Hurricanes 476-391. ... FSU, 1-3 all time against No. 1-ranked teams, has the chance to hand Miami's Larry Coker his first loss after a 17-0 start. The best start in history belongs to Yale's Walter Camp, 28-0.

Georgia Tech
With an off week to sort things out, the Jackets need to head off a potential quarterback controversy. While A.J. Suggs is the starter, freshman Damarius Bilbo was more impressive in the loss to Wake Forest -- and clearly the fans' choice. Then again, what backup quarterback isn't?

Maryland
TB Josh Allen became the first Terps freshman since 1998 to run for 100 yards. He had 116 against West Virginia. ... Maryland is off this week, giving coach Ralph Friedgen an extra five days to prepare for a Thursday night game (Oct. 17) against his former employer, Georgia Tech.

North Carolina
Coach John Bunting anticipates no schematic or major personnel changes on defense in the wake of the team's all-time worst performance, yardage-wise, against Arizona State, which totaled 657 yards of offense in the Tar Heels' 38-35 win. ... QB Darian Durant set school records for passing yards (417) and total offense (426) and tied the record for touchdowns (five) in that game, and WR Chesley Borders set a school record with his four touchdown catches. ... After missing two games, DE Issac Mooring (hand) should play against NC State.

NC State
The Wolfpack fully expect star tailback T.A. McLendon, who has scored seven touchdowns in the last two games, to return after undergoing off-week surgery on his broken wrist. ... Center Jed Paulsen (knee), out a month, also should play against North Carolina, as well as LB Dantonio Burnette (thumb), the team's leading tackler.

Virginia
The Clemson game marks the start of a brutal finish to Virginia's schedule. Its last five foes are 28-10, giving the Cavs the fifth-hardest closing schedule in the country. ... After losing the first 29 games in series history, Virginia leads Clemson 6-5-1 since 1990.

Wake Forest
Fourteen of Wake Forest's 17 games under coach Jim Grobe have been decided by a touchdown or less. ... The Deacons lead the country in turnover margin at plus-15. ... Expect a shootout against Duke. The last three meetings have seen an average 72 points scored, combined.

Around Conference USA
Army takes its first-ever crack at TCU in West Point. Last season's meeting in Fort Worth, a 38-20 TCU victory, was the first in series history. ... Eleven Army players are from Texas, seven more than any other state. ... Army surrendered its first sack of the season this past Saturday to ECU. ... Cincinnati QB Gino Guidugli's 353-yard day against Miami (Ohio) was his school-record seventh ever, and third in a row. ... Bearcats RB DeMarco McCleskey, who has scored two touchdowns in each of the past two games, needs two more to tie former Louisville player Ibn Green's C-USA record of 31. ... East Carolina senior John Williamson, the best linebacker on the team, suffered a broken arm in practice and will miss the next several games. Junior Vonta Leach replaced him against Army. ... The Pirates were able to get QB Paul Troth's back-up, Desmond Robinson, into the game and he guided two ground-oriented touchdown drives. ... Houston RB Joffrey Reynolds will have a point to prove to UAB, which held the Cougars to minus-6 rushing yards last season. ... Reynolds has three 100-yard games this season. ... Reynolds should get help from senior RB Chris Robertson (knee), the former Texas transfer who made his first appearance of the season against TCU and scored his 16th career touchdown. ... Louisville coach John L. Smith has suspended two defensive players, CB Laroni Gallishaw and DL Keeshan Lowe, indefinitely. They didn't play in the Cardinals' 38-32 victory Tuesday against Memphis. ... DE Dewayne White picked up two early sacks to unseat Michael Josiah as Louisville's career leader, with 32½. ... Memphis holder Scott Scherer could be out a while. The reserve QB missed the Louisville game with a foot injury, possibly a stress fracture. He was replaced by Ryan Ivey. ... TB DeAngelo Williams was knocked out of the game with a knee bruise. He will be re-evaluated for further damage later this week. ... Southern Miss becomes the first of four C-USA teams to get a crack this season at South Florida, which joins the league in 2003. ... The Eagles will try to become the first team in 16 games to beat the Bulls at home. South Florida's 15-game home winning streak is the third-longest active streak in the country. ... TCU kicker returner LaTarence Dunbar became the first Horned Frog with three career touchdowns on kickoffs, getting No. 3 -- a 96-yarder -- against Houston. ... TCU kicker Nick Browne, who doubles as a midfielder on the TCU soccer team, is 12-of-13 this season on field goals, giving him a chance to become C-USA's third consecutive Groza winner. ... Tulane RB Mewelde Moore gets another crack at a Cincinnati defense that yielded C-USA records 249 rushing yards and 336 all-purpose yards last season. ... The Superdome is the place to be for the Green Wave, who have won their last four series meetings there with Cincinnati -- and who are home for five of their final six games. ... UAB's 31-17 victory against Memphis featured new starters at quarterback (Darrell Hackney, 13-for-22 for 167 yards) and tailback (Theron Dudley, 14 carries for 102 yards). ... The UAB defense and special teams have combined for four touchdowns this season.

Gregg Doyel covers college football for The Charlotte Observer and can be reached at gdoyel@charlotteobserver.com.