Florida State lost a heartbreaker last week at Virginia, but that doesn’t diminish the stakes Saturday when Miami comes to Doak Campbell Stadium.
Bragging rights and ACC title hopes are alive and well as the heated rivals meet under the lights in Tallahassee.
“I’m telling my guys every day it’s going to be a bloodbath,” FSU defensive back Earl Little Jr. said this week. “That’s the type of game it’s going to be on Saturday. Whatever we’ve got to do to prepare, that’s what we’re doing. Whether it’s hitting hard in practice or attacking physicality every day, it’s all going to boil down to who wants it more.”
No. 18 Florida State (3-1, 0-1 ACC) can’t afford to start 0-2 in league play after last week’s 46-38 double-overtime loss at Virginia. Whether the Seminoles looked ahead to Miami doesn’t matter now — what is clear is that FSU must play its best game of the season to beat a rejuvenated Hurricanes squad built on perhaps its strongest offensive and defensive lines in two decades.
Saturday also marks the first road test of the season for No. 3 Miami, which hasn’t left the state of Florida through the first two months. Still, the Hurricanes may not face a tougher environment than what awaits them this weekend at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Miami vs. Florida State: Need to know
Florida State’s offense is a beast: The Seminoles still lead the nation in total offense, averaging 53 points and 600 yards per game. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos also tops the FBS in yards per attempt at 12.1 — the best four-game stretch by an ACC quarterback since Philip Rivers in 2002. FSU is pounding teams on the ground, too, averaging 336.3 rushing yards per game, the most of any non-Academy program. The production will need to carry over against Miami. The Seminoles haven’t beaten a top-three team since the 2014 BCS National Championship, when they took down Auburn — then coached by Gus Malzahn, now FSU’s offensive coordinator.
Carson Beck is back: After catching criticism at Georgia last season despite completing 65% of his throws, Beck has thrived at Miami. His Bulldogs receivers led the nation in drops; at Miami, his targets are finishing plays, and he’s up to a 73% completion rate while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. With better protection and a run game producing 56 more yards per contest than Georgia’s group last year, Beck has looked in full command. He enters Saturday with a 28-3 record as a starter, the most wins by any quarterback since 2023.
It’s been a while: This is the first ranked meeting between Florida State and Miami since 2016, a long drought for a rivalry that once dominated college football. Saturday marks the 26th matchup between the programs as AP Top 25 teams — 22 of which came between 1982 and 2006. Miami is already 2-0 against ranked opponents this season.
How to watch Miami vs. Florida State live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium — Tallahassee, Florida
TV: ABC| Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Miami vs. Florida State prediction, picks
Florida State should have beaten Virginia, but played catch up last week after two early turnovers led to a 14-0 deficit. Meanwhile, Miami hasn’t been threatened in a game since holding off a furious Notre Dame rally in the season opener. FSU’s defense is still figuring things out and was especially disappointing last week, missing tackles and blowing assignments. That wasn’t the case in the Week 1 win against Alabama. Which version of FSU will we see on defense Saturday? Miami’s massive offensive line is licking their chops after Virginia ran for 211 yards. Pick: Miami -4.5
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