When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
TV: ESPN
Coaches: Mario Cristobal is 40-19 at UM, 102-79 overall; Florida State’s Mike Norvell is 41-37 at FSU, 79-52 overall
Line: Miami is favored by 21.5 points
Weather: 80 degrees, 29% chance of rain
Quick slant: The Hurricanes are looking to win their third straight rivalry game against the Seminoles. Miami leads the all-time series 37-33.
About No. 3 Miami (5-0, 3-0 ACC): The Hurricanes are rolling to start the year, and they had a bye week to rest. UM has won its first five games by an average of 39.8 points.
About Florida State (3-3, 1-2 ACC): The Seminoles are scuffling again. After taking an early 14-0 lead over Louisville, Florida State was outscored 44-6 en route to a 44-20 loss last week.
Three things to watch
1. The Hurricanes are starting to get healthy again. Miami gets cornerback Xavier Lucas back from an injury he suffered in the season opener against Stanford, which will be a boon for the Hurricanes’ secondary. Defensive end Marquise Lightfoot is also good to go after leaving the Clemson game with an injury. Lightfoot has been a key part of UM’s defensive line so far this season.
2. Florida State’s record doesn’t reflect it, but the Seminoles have had bursts of explosive offense this season. They took an early 21-6 lead on the road against Alabama and were poised to take a three-score lead against Louisville. Both times, FSU surrendered the lead. But the Seminoles’ offense is averaging 31 points per game and has rushed for 187.17 yards per game. The combination of running back Ousmane Kromah and quarterback Ashton Daniels can make for a potent ground attack.
3. Although players transfer freely between schools often now, there is only one player on either roster who has played both sides in this rivalry: Miami kicker Jake Weinberg. The American Heritage-Delray alumnus spent two seasons with the Seminoles before transferring to UM. Weinberg is 5-for-6 on field goals this season. Florida State does have two coaches on staff who previously worked at Miami. Offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. was UM’s running backs coach in 2023. Safeties coach Evan Cooper briefly worked as Miami’s director of player personnel in 2015.