It’s that time of year again when Florida State and Miami meet to renew one of the more storied college football rivalries of the last three decades. The Seminoles have had the upper-hand in recent years winning the last four and seven of the last nine. Last year’s contest was a meeting of top 10 teams that saw Florida State pull away in the second half of what became a 41-14 thumping.
This year’s contest doesn’t have the national implications that prior match-ups have, but for the third-ranked Seminoles and the Hurricanes, this Saturday’s showdown in South Florida is still extremely important.
Prior to the start of 2014, the expectations for Florida State and Miami were hardly the same. The Seminoles were coming off of a perfect season capped by the school’s third national championship while the Hurricanes had dropped four of their final six games in 2013 and were replacing a three-year starter at quarterback.
For each team to meet their preseason expectations however, Saturday’s rivalry game in South Florida is a must-win.
For Florida State this season, the margin for error has been paper-thin. The Seminoles have lived on the edge for much of the season, having to rally late to defeat Clemson, Notre Dame and Louisville.
Despite a number of close games, the Seminoles’ march has continued on. FSU has not lost in nearly two years and has two ACC championships, two major bowl victories and a shiny crystal trophy to show for it.
Although Florida State is riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 25 games, FSU has not gotten the credit it deserves and at this point in the season, it’s hard to imagine the Seminoles making the first college football playoff with anything other than a goose egg in the loss column.
While Florida State’s dream of a second straight national championship hangs in the balance this weekend, this is also a must-win for Miami to achieve its goals.
Prior to the season, the Hurricanes were picked by the ACC to do something they never have — play for the conference championship.
When Miami joined the ACC in 2004, it had just won four consecutive Big East titles, three BCS bowls and the 2001 national championship. Members of its fan base joked that the ACC stood for “All Canes Conference”.
In its first year in the conference, Miami met fellow newcomer Virginia Tech on the final week of the season in what turned out to be a de facto ACC title game. The Hokies edged the Hurricanes in South Florida, 16-10 and went on to play in the Sugar Bowl.
The following season, the conference expanded to 12 teams with the addition of Boston College and added an actual championship game. Miami looked destined for the inaugural ACC title game, but a home loss to Georgia Tech late in the year gave Virginia Tech the nod.
Nine years later, Miami has still yet to win the Coastal division and unless it upsets Florida State on Saturday, it likely won’t this season either.
As Florida State and Miami get set for Saturday’s rivalry showdown at Sun Life Stadium, the Hurricanes are hoping to play spoiler to the rival Seminoles, who are in line for a shot at a national championship. But as the teams get set to meet for the 59th time, Miami won’t be the only team on the field looking to dash its rivals championship hopes.
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