ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Florida State-Miami showdown is no stranger to the brightest of college football spotlights.
The rivals spent the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s chasing national championships while battling for state domination.
Not only has the matchup routinely pitted Top 25-ranked teams against each other, it has featured some of the biggest stars in college football.
This year’s version….not so much.
While the unbeaten Hurricanes come in at No. 6 nationally, the Seminoles are struggling through a season that was supposed to feature an FSU run to a playoff spot.
Whether it be high expectations, poor quarterback play, average offensive and defensive line or a lack of big play ability, the Seminoles (1-6 and 1-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play) are spinning their wheels.
Still, it is a rivalry game, and UM (7-0 and 3-0) is taking its conference rival seriously.
“You know, we have tons of respect for those guys, defending ACC champions, a really, really talented football team,” Miami receiver Xavier Restrepo said. “You watch their defense, all five DBs (defensive backs) can line up in your face and play man, they run around, have great ball skills.
“We have to be as prepared as we can be.”
Consider last season, when the Hurricanes were a 14- and 17-point underdog when it went to Tallahassee to take on the then-undefeated Seminoles. Miami had the ball with a chance to tie in the final minutes, before losing 27-20 in a game that was much closer than oddsmakers expected.
This year, Miami is a 21-point favorite for the 7:30 p.m. matchup Saturday.
“Obviously, this is a huge week for our football program,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “I mean, this game is a game that we have an emphasis on 365 days a year because we’re fortunate to be at a place that you get two rivalry games every single year that mean a ton to our football program.”
In Orlando, UCF will face a Top 11 team, and a top two team in the Big 12, for the second time in two weeks when BYU comes to town — for Homecoming, no less.
After getting the starting nod last week in a last-minute 38-35 loss then-No. 9 Iowa State, Jacurri Brown has been named the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, coach Gus Malzahn said. He took over for KJ Jefferson, a fifth-year transfer out of Arkansas who began the season as the starter.
"I liked the way he (Brown) handled himself," Malzahn said.
The team will look to balance the offense more going forward, he said.
"We've got to find a way to take that next step," Malzahn said. "I will say we did improve, played one of our best games (against Iowa State)."
THIS WEEKEND’S GAMES:
FSU (1-6, 1-5 in ACC) at Miami (7-0, 3-0), 7 p.m., ESPN
While FSU’s disappointing season would receive a huge boost with a victory, this would be just another step toward a playoff spot for the streaking ‘Canes. Miami is coming off an impressive win at Louisville, taking shots from the Cardinals before pulling away for a wild 52-45 win. The Seminoles’ downtrodden season reached another low last week with its first loss to Duke in 22 years of being ACC foes. Miami quarterback, and potential Heisman finalist, Cam Ward has thrown for 2,538 yards, 24 touchdowns, leading the country in both categories, throwing for over 300 yards in every game played. Meanwhile, FSU will again be led by QB Brock Glenn, a redshirt freshman. Glenn, who has appaeared in the Seminoles' last three games only completed nine of 19 passes last week in the loss to Duke, was sacked three times and threw two interceptions. FSU offense has not scored more than 16 points in its last six games.
No. 11 BYU (7-0, 4-0 in Big 12) at UCF (3-4, 1-3), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
The season has not gone as the Knights or their fans expected, and the team heads into this week's matchup with another ranked team hoping to end its four-game losing streak. There were some positives, however, as Brown stepped in as starting quarterback to pass for 62 yards and rush for 154 yards and two touchdowns. As a team, the Knights rushed for 354 yards, led by RJ Harvey with 196 yards and two touchdowns. UCF’s Brandon Adams returned an interception to close to the goal line against Iowa State. Malzahn said early in the week that defensive end Nyjalik Kelly, who got knocked out of the loss to Iowa State, might be able to return Saturday. However, Malzahn also disclosed that defensive tackle John Walker, who was hurt in the preseason, underwent surgery and will miss the rest of the season. BYU came in on the opposite side of a 38-35 score last week, defeating Oklahoma State. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards and another score. The Cougars' Tanner Wall, who was recruited as a wide receiver before switching to safety last year, has made interceptions in each of the past two games.
(USF is off. Florida is off)