RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina needs a victory in its final game to qualify for a bowl, and the same goes for Clemson. Wake Forest has to win its last two.<br>
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With the Atlantic Coast Conference season winding down, nearly every game has postseason implications.<br>
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``Our players have known for two or three games that we need to starting winning games down the stretch,'' Demon Deacons coach Jim Grobe said. ``We're playing good teams. We're not playing exceptionally well at times, but I can't ask for more out of our guys as far as effort is concerned.<br>
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``Hopefully, we can put it together.''<br>
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Wake Forest (4-5, 1-5 ACC) has to beat No. 12 Miami on Saturday and then do the same the next week at Maryland. The stretch run begins at the Orange Bowl.<br>
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``I told the players that this is an environment you dream about,'' Grobe said. ``You dream about playing one day in the Orange Bowl. Our guys realize that you have to take advantage of it, because these opportunities don't come along too often.''<br>
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Somehow, the Tigers still are one victory short of bowl eligibility. They surely thought that would come last week at Duke, which hadn't beaten an Division I-A opponent all season.<br>
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The Blue Devils (2-8, 1-6) put it all together and pulled off the 16-13 upset with Matt Brooks' 53-yard field on the final play. Now, Clemson (5-5, 4-4) must win at home against South Carolina.<br>
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A year ago, essentially playing for coach Tommy Bowden's job, the Tigers won 63-17.<br>
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``There was a lot more at stake professionally coming into the South Carolina game last year,'' Bowden said. ``This year, there are much different stakes in that we have to win to have a winning season and get into a bowl game.<br>
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``I have been to a bunch of bowl games, and hopefully, I will go to more in the future, but I am most interested in helping the seniors get to a bowl game. I will get another chance to go to a bowl game, but this is their last shot.''<br>
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The Tar Heels (5-5, 4-3) haven't been in the postseason since 2001, and after going 5-19 in the previous two seasons, that streak was expected to continue through 2004.<br>
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But they've won all the games they were supposed to win and added a couple of upsets, leaving them one victory shy heading into Saturday at Duke.<br>
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``I know it's very important to those seniors as we approach this week's practice, because they've been here when we were winners of the Peach Bowl,'' North Carolina coach John Bunting said. ``They were also here the previous two years when we didn't win many games.<br>
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``It's very important for them to close this season out and finish the right way.''<br>
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Elsewhere in the ACC this week, Maryland and No. 15 Virginia Tech get the schedule started Thursday night, No. 18 Virginia travels to Georgia Tech and No. 10 Florida State hosts rival Florida.<br>
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The Seminoles (8-2, 6-2) have lost their games by a total of nine points including one in overtime to the Hurricanes but still has an outside shot at winning the title. The Hokies (7-2, 4-1) are the only team in the ACC with fewer than two losses.<br>
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``I feel that we are a team that is probably two plays away from being undefeated right now,'' Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. ``We are probably like a lot of teams that came real close to get where we are today, and we still have a big game ahead of us. We've been that close.''
