It seems clear that the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles are on a collision course for October 4 when they meet in prime time. When they kick off in Tallahassee inside Doak Campbell Stadium, it should be a matchup between two ranked teams.
The No. 2 Hurricanes have the luxury of a bye week before they face their greatest rival. The No. 8 Seminoles, however, still have Virginia on September 26. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is hoping FSU avoids a misstep in that game, setting up an epic showdown against Miami.
“If [Florida State] takes care of business in Charlottesville on Friday night, the October 4 showdown in Tallahassee between the undefeated Canes and the undefeated Noles will be the biggest game we’ve had in the state in quite some time. Doak will be nuts!” DeSantis posted on X.
DeSantis’ post came shortly after Miami dismantled another in-state rival, beating Florida 26-7 at home to remain undefeated.
If FSU were to beat Virginia and stay unbeaten, the Seminoles would likely remain a top-10 team. Still, they dropped one spot in the latest AP Poll from seventh to eighth after routing Kent State 66-10. Oklahoma moved up four spots after defeating then-No. 22 Auburn in Norman, leapfrogging Florida State.
Miami-Florida State Could Be Top-10 Matchup
What used to be one of the best rivalries in all of college football has waned in recent years. While the Hurricanes and Seminoles still meet annually, both programs have struggled to remain among the sport’s elite. Often, when one is on the rise, the other is in decline.
Even if FSU were to lose to Virginia, the Seminoles would likely remain in the top 25. A win, though, would keep them inside the top 10, making the October 4 meeting even more enticing. If that happens, it would mark the first top-10 showdown between the two since 2013, when No. 7 Miami fell 41-14 at No. 3 Florida State.
That was not the last time the teams met as ranked opponents. Their most recent ranked matchup came in 2016, when No. 23 FSU edged No. 10 Miami 20-19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami Hurricanes Have Become Talk of College Football
Miami entered the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll, but with each of their four wins, the Hurricanes have continued to rise. Victories over Notre Dame, Bethune-Cookman, South Florida and Florida have pushed them to No. 2, with ESPN’s Heather Dinich believing they deserve the top spot.
“They’re number one,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich said. “They’re the total package.”
With the win over the Gators, Miami’s national championship odds increased significantly, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly. The Hurricanes rose 3.3% after Week 4, ranking fifth behind USC, Ole Miss, Indiana and Oregon.
To reach their first national title game since the 2002 season, however, Miami would likely need to win the ACC — something the Hurricanes have never done since joining the league in 2004.
With Clemson collapsing to an 0-2 conference start, Miami now holds the best odds to win the ACC at 26.3%. Florida State sits at 10.5%.
The October 4 matchup might not be the only time the Hurricanes and Seminoles face off this season. Depending on how the rest of the year unfolds, the two could meet again with a conference championship — and potentially much more — at stake.