Posted by William Kristoph

It’s popular for FSU fans to moan and groan about playing on a Thursday night. I know, I witnessed the Chris Rix rain monsoon debacle at Louisville years ago. Others point to FSU’s first ACC loss, at Virginia years ago on a Thursday night. Quite frankly, as a fan I don’t like having to stay up to watch the game since I’m an early riser. But on the flip side of that I’m happy that FSU doesn’t schedule home games on Thursday nights. Like them or not, one thing FSU fans need to remember tomorrow night is that Thursday nights have been kind to FSU recently.

The last two Thursday night games were at North Carolina State (2008) and at North Carolina (2009). Both were come from behind victories led by Christian Ponder. This Thursday night should be no different in Raleigh. The Atlantic Division match up is big for both the Noles and the Wolfpack. For the Wolfpack a win is necessary to stay in the hunt for the ACC Championship Game. A win would also mean bowl eligibility and a meaningful win for Coach Tom O’Brien late in the season. A loss basically eliminates N.C. State from anything but mid-tier bowl talk.

For the Noles this game is important. The old cliché that this is a “must win” in the typical fashion is off base. It’s not. The Noles are 4-0 in conference play. A loss would hurt the cause, but not eliminate them from ACC Championship Game contention. A win, however, pretty much wraps up the Atlantic Coastal. Clemson is 2 losses back and North Carolina plays in the Coastal Division. Maryland, although better than expected, should show their true colors soon enough and be out of contention. So from the conference stand point this isn’t a must win.

It IS an important win. A win likely brings a night game on November 6 when North Carolina comes to down. A night game probably means a close to full, if not totally full, Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time in 2010. A win puts the Noles at 7-1. Think about that for a minute. The Noles could match their win total (including the bowl game) from a season ago in the 8th week of the REGULAR season. A win provides more evidence that the Jimbo Fisher led Noles are not irrelevant. A win brings a bit more confidence to this team and a few more recruits looking at FSU. Make no mistake a win tomorrow night is important to a lot of causes OTHER than the ACC Championship.

Who am I picking? Check back tomorrow.