Miami vs Florida State

Miami vs. #18 Florida State

You know, several years ago this would have been THE game to watch… now, it’s THE only game on tv tonight, after the afternoon game of Cincinnati and Rutgers.

Two once very storied programs, giving us great NFL stars such as Deon Sanders and Michael Irving, Charlie Ward and Vinny Testaverde, now we have two schools struggling to not only reclaim some past glory, but a conference as well.

But to me, the ACC has done fairly well for itself. Last year 10 out of 12 teams in the ACC finished with 6 wins or more. Only Duke and Virginia failed to do so. This means that the conference is competitive, regardless of what others say. Of all the power conferences, I believe the ACC is above the Big East, but under the other 4. But tonight’s matchup is going to pre-determine who will have a legit shot at the ACC crown. Already Virginia Tech has fallen (not really sure how they got such a high ranking anyway) so it is already up for grabs. Which Florida team will step forward?

For Miami, tonight’s matchup is incredibly important. You just can’t keep losing to your state rival, and last year winning seven games is not worth celebrating if you are the Hurricanes. Losing early to Florida last year can be overlooked, but dropping games to conference foes UNC AND Florida State did not look good. It also didn’t look good the way Miami lost the last three games of the season to Georgia Tech, NC State and California. Most will credit only one good win, that over Virginia Tech…but that was last year.

This year brings many challenges, including a new quarterback and a schedule that leaves no mercy. It is not out of the realms of possibility that Miami could be 0-4 before they see Florida A&M. Playing away against FSU, home against a good Georgia Tech team, away at VA Tech and home vs. Oklahoma could be more than the Hurricanes can take. The schedule still seems favorable enough to put Miami in post season, but a win vs. Florida State can really go a long way. A loss could set the table for a disappointing season.

For Florida State, a 9-4 season is decent, but still below expectations. Long have the Seminoles been the rulers of the ACC, now they are feared by no one in the conference. But this is still a team to consider for the ACC crown. Last year the Seminoles dismantled my beloved Catamounts by a score unmentionable, and then crushed another foe 46-7.

But it could be argued that money can’t buy you wins…although that isn’t true. Western Carolina and UTC made decent money getting their butts kicked by Florida State. But it didn’t really prepare FSU for the schedule, as they lost their first REAL game vs. Wake Forest 12-3. All those points scored in the first two games, and only 3 points when it really mattered.

Still, Florida State recovered and won 4 games in a row, until they ran into Georgia Tech in Atlanta, losing their second conference game. They would lose again to Boston College and once more to state rival Florida before finishing the season with a win over Wisconsin in a bowl game.

The only real blowout was against Florida, losing 45-15. The loss to Wake Forest was only by 9 points, the loss to Boston College by 10 and the loss to Georgia Tech, only 3 points. All four losses were to decent teams, it seemed that Florida State beat the teams they were supposed to beat. Still, it isn’t the standard of FSU.

With a returning QB and a host of other starters, some say Florida State can indeed be the team to beat, especially since they also beat Virginia Tech last year. The problem is that they have a key game vs. BYU next, and state rival South Florida this year. Not a lot of traveling for the Seminoles, outside of going to Boston College and BYU, all the other games are in the deep south, which could bring familiarity to the team. This could play in their favor, but you still have to win games.

With a quarterback that threw almost as many interceptions as touchdowns, this is still kinda hairy. Florida State at home always has a great crowd, yet three of their 4 losses came in Tallahassee. Miami’s wins on the road last year were against Texas A&M, Duke and Virginia…all three combined were 13-22...all losing records.

These clearly are not the glory days for either team, but as long as the ACC Title is on the line, you might as well go get it. A win for either team is obviously important, but I think Florida State might have a slight edge here…not by too much, but considering Miami has a new QB it could possibly get ugly. I think Florida State can win this by a touchdown, maybe even 10 points, but I wonder since FSU has dropped several home games last year…not a sign of a force in the ACC. Still, with Virginia Tech slipping, everything is up for grabs now.