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CHAPEL HILL — The North Carolina Tar Heels spent the past weekend catching their breath, thanks to a break in their college football season, but now they turn their attention to the final six games on the schedule.

The Tar Heels face a stretch of six consecutive ACC games, which kicks off with a nationally televised matchup against Florida State on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN).

It will be the first time UNC has played host to a Thursday night game and the first time the Seminoles have played in Chapel Hill since 2003.

The Tar Heels said they're excited to play under the lights and on the national stage, but they also know what a win over FSU could mean for their season. UNC is 4-2 overall, but both losses were to ACC opponents.

"A win would be very important because it would start the momentum we need to finish this season strong," senior defensive lineman E.J. Wilson said. "I think if we beat Florida State it'll be a statement win, because we're proving that we can go out there and play with anybody."

This Florida State team may not be as dominating as the Seminoles were in the 1990s, but they still are considered a historic powerhouse, Wilson said.

UNC coach Butch Davis said Florida State has a great program built by legendary coach Bobby Bowden, and the Seminoles' reputation will only add to the excitement of the game.

"Games like this, to a certain extent, become measuring sticks," Davis said. "Are you making the progress that you'd hoped you'd be making?"

Davis said he discussed bringing a Thursday night game to Chapel Hill after he was hired, and he thinks it's a great way for the school, not just the football program, to gain exposure.

"You get basically a four-hour infomercial that you get a chance to talk about Chapel Hill, talk about the University of North Carolina," Davis said. "It was an unbelievable cooperation by a lot of people to help make this happen, and we're very grateful they allowed us to do it."

Davis admitted the Thursday night game can interrupt the players and their class schedules, but UNC doesn't have class Thursday or Friday because of fall break. The weeknight game also pushes the practice schedule back two days, so Monday's practice was like a typical-week Wednesday workout.

"We're on our so-called Wednesday day, so it's a little bit different because you get sidetracked, like today's only Monday and I'm thinking that today's really Wednesday," junior cornerback Kendric Burney said. "It plays with you a little bit, but you know just because the game's on a Thursday night, you're just so jacked up that you're not even worried about what day it is."

Burney said he loves night games and has been antsy to play for the past week.

UNC is 4-2 in Thursday night games, including a 44-12 victory at Rutgers a year ago. Burney said the Seminoles' record and recent woes don't matter much to the Tar Heels, who just want to win and get some momentum back.

"This is definitely a game that could flip our season totally around to get back on the right track to contend and get back in any kind of races that we want to get into," Burney said.