Thanks to a combination of the rankings of the two teams involved and a really poor slate of Week 10 games, this weekend’s edition of the Miami-Florida State in-state rivalry game is drawing a vast majority of the attention.
Not only does it involve a pair of former national powers seeing a resurgence, it’s two teams that are both undefeated and ranked inside the Top 10. The matchup will have implications when it comes to the ACC as well as the BCS title chase. On paper, it’s a huge Sunshine State showdown dripping with conference and national implications.
Sin City, however, sees a yawner on the horizon.
According to Las Vegas insider/ESPN radio host RJ Bell, the Seminoles opened as a 21-point favorite over the Hurricanes for the game that will be played in Tallahassee Saturday. The line has subsequently gone up to plus-22 for The U.
Bell stated that is far and away the “[b]iggest spread in history between undefeated Top 10 teams this late in season.” The only other two such games, going back to 1980, with a double-digit spread? Bell has that 411 as well:
- Texas minus-12 hosting Oklahoma State (10/25/2008)
- Miami minus-11 vs. Ohio State (2002 BCS Title Game)
Texas won its game, but didn’t cover (28-24). The Buckeyes-Hurricanes game? I think we all know how that one played out.
While the Seminoles’ dominance -- Top 10 in scoring offense/defense and total offense/defense -- over the vast majority of the 2013 season is certainly playing a significant role in the lopsided spread in -- and thus perception of -- the game, the Hurricanes have certainly done their share of late to add to the blowout talk.
In each of the last three games, UM has been forced to overcome double-digit deficits. In two of those games, they scored the winning touchdown with under a minute remaining in regulation.
Those three wins came against ACC teams -- Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest -- that have a combined record of 9-12 against FBS programs this season.
As for FSU’s last three conference games? They’ve outscored Maryland, Clemson and North Carolina State -- the former two are/were ranked in the Top 25 -- by a combined score of 163-31.
Hopefully, the game on the field will be better than what most off it are predicting it to be.