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Two ACC teams enjoyed eye-opening nonconference wins last weekend. Now they are out to prove those weren't flukes.

Clemson's 25-24 win over then-No. 17 Texas A&M and Georgia Tech's 23-14 win at then-No. 16 Auburn raised the possibility that the Tigers and Yellow Jackets could be ACC contenders instead of also-rans this year. Both teams cracked The Associated Press Top 25 Tuesday, giving the ACC seven teams in that poll for the first time in its history.

"We've won big ballgames around here before," said Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey, whose No. 17 team hosts North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in a game airing on WSET. "The key for us is to go out and be consistent. ... That's something we've got to do a better job of."

Auburn was unbeaten last year but has lost defensive back Carlos Rogers, quarterback Jason Campbell and running backs Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams to the NFL. The Tigers managed just 50 yards rushing and committed five turnovers last Saturday.

"Time will tell that Auburn is a pretty good football team," Gailey said. "We were worried about playing the run against a physical offensive line and we held up to the task. ... We were not a turnover team last year but we were able to, with some speed, I think, create some turnovers. I hope that trend continues." Gailey also likes that several of his receivers played a role in the win and that "it just wasn't a one-man show" featuring star wideout Calvin Johnson.

No. 25 Clemson visits Maryland at noon Saturday (ESPN). Clemson followed a win over Miami with a loss to Duke last year, so Tigers coach Tommy Bowden is also hoping for consistency.

"The biggest thing you'd like to guard against is obviously getting a little bit of a comfort zone with one win," Bowden said.

The Tigers were plagued by turnovers and a lousy running game last year, but Bowden was pleased they had no turnovers and ran for 183 yards against the Aggies.

"We have been struggling for the last few years with the running game and it looks like we put something together there," Bowden said.

Mixed results

The Florida State and Miami offenses were hardly impressive in the Seminoles' 10-7 win Monday.

FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford completed only seven of 24 passes and was picked off once; fellow redshirt freshman Xavier Lee was 1-of-2 when he relieved Weatherford for one series in the fourth quarter.

"Our quarterbacks had performed so well the week previous to this game in practice," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "Then you go in that ballgame and you look like a freshman, you know? So there's no doubt about it, now we've got to get them playing to their ability. ... And, of course, we'll try to blend our running game with it more."

Bowden, whose team hosts Division I-AA The Citadel Saturday, plans to play Lee earlier in games from now on.

Miami gave up nine sacks and played poorly on special teams, including a bad snap and hold that prevented a late field-goal attempt. But quarterback Kyle Wright wasn't bad in his starting debut, completing 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards and one TD. Miami coach Larry Coker said Wright was one of his team's bright spots.

"Our special teams really let us down, and we didn't protect our quarterback nearly as well as we need to," said Coker, whose team is idle this week. "Offensively, we did some good things."

Troubling losses

Wake Forest's opener against Vanderbilt figured to be one of the more winnable games on the Demon Deacons' schedule, but Wake lost 24-20. Duke's opener at East Carolina appeared to be one of the Blue Devils' best chances for victory, but ECU won 24-21. One has to wonder just how many other defeats now lie ahead for the perennial ACC lightweights.

"It's not one of those situations where you look at the loss and say, 'Oh man, we lost to Vanderbilt -- can you believe it?' " said Wake coach Jim Grobe, whose team visits Nebraska at 7 p.m. Saturday in a TBS game. "We lost to a Vanderbilt team that is very good offensively.

"Anytime you lose a football game to a I-A team, especially a team out of the SEC, you can't feel too bad about it because you've got to understand they've got players too. So we're very disappointed that we lost a football game, but that's not something we're looking at as an embarrassment."

Duke, which hosts Virginia Tech at noon Saturday (WFXR), had two turnovers inside the 20-yard line in its 24-21 loss at ECU.

"When we get opportunities, we've got to take advantage," Duke coach Ted Roof said. "I've never harped on it as much as we have this preseason camp ... because of what we've done in the past in the scoring zone."

Duke's defense was burned by big plays at ECU.

"There are going to be times where we'll missing a tackle or somebody whips one of our guys. I can stomach that," Roof said. "What I can't stomach is making unforced errors. ... Because our margin of error is so small, we've really got to hone in on execution."