If Florida State coach Bobby Bowden ever questioned his assistant's abilities to go on and coach a major college football program, he no longer has any doubts.
This Saturday, Bowden will face his former assistant head coach coordinator Chuck Amato, who spent 18 years manning the Seminole sideline coaching the defensive line and linebacker corps.
"It feels funny being on the opposite side of the field," Amato said of his recent trips to Tallahassee. "It feels funny to go down to the locker room, knowing that the locker room you used to be in was really first class."
While they may be in separate locker rooms now, Bowden and Amato remain close.
"It's as strong as it was," Bowden said of the bond between himself and Amato. "Because he's just beat us with a masterful, masterful job of coaching and plans and it couldn't diminish that".
Amato is now the head coach of North Carolina State and is 2-1 against Bowden since leaving four years ago. It's an astounding success rate against the Seminoles considering no other ACC team has more than one win against Florida State since they joined the conference in 1992. What's more, the Wolfpack was the first ACC team to beat Florida State at home, which they did in 2001.
The usually potent Florida State offense seems to freeze up against the Wolfpack, as they scored a measly seven points in last year's loss in Raleigh, N.C. It's safe to say that Amato has a pretty good understanding of the defensive system employed by Bowden.
For N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers, who has led his team into battle against FSU the past three year's, has the experience needed to make it three straight over the Seminoles.
Since arriving on campus three years ago, when he graduated early from high school to join the team for spring practice, he has been playing against the Florida State defensive scheme in practice. His maturity has also played a factor.
"He continues to mature and realizes there's a whole field in front of him, and when that first option is open he'll get rid of it, and get rid of it in a hurry," Bowden said. "If you don't have mixture, he'll eat you up. I'll be glad to see him gone."
This season, the Wolfpack, who got off to a slow start with losses at Ohio State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, have rebounded strongly, winning four straight. With the recent win streak, they have put themselves back in position to win the ACC after Clemson's upset last week, which opened the door just enough that bearing an N.C. State victory this Saturday, they will be tied with Florida State for first place in the conference.
Florida State will be trying to rebound from a 26-10 pounding by Clemson that knocked them straight out of the national championship race. The Seminoles, who were third in the BCS standings prior to the loss, have now readjusted their goal, focusing on winning the conference and making a trip to a BCS bowl.
The schedule doesn't get easier for either team after Saturday, as N.C. State plays Maryland. Should both the Wolfpack and the Terrapins win this week, that game would be determine top spot in the conference. Florida State takes a week off before traveling to the Swamp to take on arch-nemesis Florida.
Whoever emerges as the victor will take control of the ACC race, while Florida State can win the conference outright with a win.
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