Miami’s trip into Florida State week comes with all the ingredients that usually turn this rivalry into must-watch TV: a top-five Hurricanes team rolling in at 5-0, a Seminoles squad trying to find the right formula at 3-3, and more than 100 recruits set to be in the building.
That’s enough to make the matchup matter on its own. Add in the fact that Miami has beaten FSU two years in a row and is staring at a third straight win over the Noles, and the stage gets even bigger.
Mario Cristobal isn’t pretending otherwise. The Miami head coach is leaning into the moment while keeping his team’s focus squarely on the task in front of it. Coming off a bye, with defensive players expected back and an offense still stinging from leaving points on the board against Clemson, the Hurricanes are stepping into one of the most charged games on their schedule.
“Ever since I grew up, this was always my favorite and the best rivalry in sports, in my opinion,” Cristobal said on the Joe Rose Show. “It's the energy, the intensity, the physicality, the caliber of player on the field, the guy coaching against each other, the fan bases, the state of Florida.
I mean, all eyes on this game, always at forever, and they're always knockout, drag out football games. So certainly excited to get to continue preparing.”
Florida State has given opponents plenty to worry about, even if the results haven’t always followed. The Seminoles led Alabama 21-6 before a delay slowed the game down, were locked into a tough fight with SMU in their opener, and in their last outing against Louisville jumped ahead 14-0 with a chance to make it 21-0 before letting it slip away.
The talent is there. The finishes haven’t been.
Cristobal made it clear he sees that danger. After a weekend that saw Texas, Oregon, and LSU lose, with Indiana also in trouble, he’s not interested in letting Miami drift into any midseason comfort zone.
“I mean, they were up 21-6 on Alabama, you know? That and four minutes left until one night, I think it's a 7 point game.
So they've had all the makings of just being right there and could very easily have won every single game that they have been in,” Cristobal said about FSU. “But the focus is on making sure we prepare our guys for all not only their players, but the way that they use their players, they do a great job using personnel, and their offensive defensive lines are big in physical.”
He also pointed to the kind of stretches that can swing a game like this if a team isn’t sharp.
“You know, that's 10 sacks against Virginia,” Cristobal said. “In the red zone, they've been elite on offense.
They've been really good on defense in the red zone as well. Just so then again,I mean, you have to prepare for a lot, and you better be on point, We need that stadium absolutely going bananas, rocking like the asylum it is.”
Cristobal said the key now is simple: keep the attention on the work, not the hype.
“And all focus is on preparing and getting ready to play an extremely talented or really good football team with a lot of weapons that, again, has always been the most intense and physical game of Miami Hurricanes' history,” Cristobal said. “So I'm really excited to get to get ready.”
For Miami, the wait is on. For Florida State, the trip is coming. And for everyone else, another edition of a rivalry Cristobal calls the best in sports is about to take over the ACC spotlight once again.
In Other News...
Miami Defense Gets Timely Boost Before FSU With Bigger Questions Ahead
Miamis defense got a welcome lift this week, with Mario Cristobal confirming on the Joe Rose show that Xavier Lucas, Marquise Lightfoot, Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. and Damari Brown are all returning to play. With Florida State on deck, the timing matters for a unit that has spent the bye week trying to get healthier and stabilize its rotation after dealing with a run of injury setbacks.
Some of the players who were hurt before the break are trending in the right direction, while Max Buchanan and JaBoree Antoine remain sidelined. Even with reinforcements coming back, Miami still has to sort out how the depth chart holds up, though the staff has already identified backups who stepped in and helped keep things afloat when the injuries piled up. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces One Big O-Line Concern Before Florida State
Miami is getting healthier on defense at a good time, with Ezekiel Marcelin Jr., Marquise Lightfoot, Xavier Lucas and Damari Brown all back in the mix ahead of the Florida State rivalry game. That gives the Hurricanes some needed depth and flexibility on that side of the ball as they head into one of the biggest dates on the schedule.
The more immediate concern is up front, where starting right guard Max Buchanan had surgery for a left knee injury and is expected to miss some time. Miami has not given a firm return timeline, and the staff is sorting through options to replace him on the offensive line, a spot that could loom large with Florida State coming fast. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Basketball Just Got An Early National Reality Check
KenPoms preseason numbers are in, and they give Miami a pretty solid national starting point after last seasons NCAA tournament exit. The Hurricanes come in at No. 22 overall, with an offense rated 118.4 and a defense sitting at 94.9, a profile that suggests a team with enough balance to hang around the top 25 if it settles in quickly.
The first real test arrives right away on Nov. 2, when Miami opens against Florida, the No. 2 team in KenPoms preseason rankings. It is the kind of early measuring-stick game that can tell a staff plenty about where the Hurricanes stand before the long grind of ACC play really begins. [Read more 🡒]