Since coming to N.C. State six years ago, coach Chuck Amato has beaten Florida State as many times as they’ve beaten him. The Wolfpack is 3-3 against the Seminoles under Amato, including last year’s 20-15 win in Tallahassee.

Amato’s three wins against his former employer are tied for the most against Florida State and coach Bobby Bowden since the team joined the ACC in 1992. Bowden’s son Tommy is the other.

So naturally with his ties to Florida State and this year’s game just two days away, Amato said he has emotions to deal with this week on top thinking about the game.

“[This game] is always going to be emotional and strange for me,” Amato said.

“I spent an awful lot of time there and there’s an awful lot good friends and memories there. But I’ve spent more time in Raleigh with more memories and more friends. But [my feelings] will never decrease down there. And it starts with coach Bowden because he was — for all the years I was there — so special to everybody and I got awfully, awfully close to him. And since I’ve left we’ve even gotten closer. He’s just a dream to be around.”

Amato said he talks with Bowden on a regular basis, even the week of the game. But he said with the game on Thursday this year it becomes more difficult to find the time to talk.

“We normally speak on my radio show,” Amato said. “And we were scheduled to do that tonight. But we’re both on the same schedule and I’m going to have to run out of practice during the last ten minutes to do the radio show. And guess what? He’s practicing too. So that’s when we’d normally do our talking and would be cutting up back and forth with one another. And it won’t happen this year.”

As far as the game itself, Amato downplayed any advantage he might have over the Noles because of his familiarity with the program and the coaching staff.

“What’s happened in the past is history,” Amato said. “There’s two new teams playing this year.”

Asked if he had any inside knowledge of FSU he could tell his players and use against the Noles, Amato said he would “take it to his grave.”

He added, though, familiarity goes both ways.

“They know me too,” Amato said. “And it sure didn’t help that first time we played them up here seven years ago when they took our pants down in front of 50,000 people and spanked us right down here on the field — but I think [inside information] is totally overrated.”

One thing not overrated, according to Amato, is the talent of Florida State’s defense.

Amato said the Noles’ defensive front would be a tough test for State’s offensive line.

“Our offensive line has really played well as a group,” Amato said. “We haven’t given up a lot of sacks. We haven’t given up a lot of hurries. [But] we’ll be real tested this week in a lot of areas because we’re going to play the fastest, the strongest and the quickest defensive line we will have faced to this point. They’re a typical Florida State front.”

Amato said he doesn’t understand any talk of a declining FSU program.

“They keep winning,” he said. “They just keep winning.”