Miami vs. Florida State point spread: Picking Hurricanes vs. Seminoles

Two of The Sunshine State’s best will meet up in the ACC this weekend when Miami makes the trip up north to Tallahassee to play Florida State. Even so, this matchup looks much different, including far more one-sided, than it did even just a month ago.

Andy Staples and The Athletic’s Max Olson made their picks for the Hurricanes vs. the Seminoles during Monday’s episode of ‘Andy Staples On3’. As Staples pointed out, this contest should have been closer than a two-touchdown spread. Instead, with how Miami has fallen off over October, he wonders if something similar to last season’s 42-point win for FSU could be on the table again.

“If you had told me this a month ago, that this would be the spread? I’d be like, ‘You’re nuts! There’s no way! Miami is going to come in there, they’re going to be Florida State’s biggest challenge!'” said Staples. “Now, my only question is whether this winds up being a bigger blowout than last year’s game, which was embarrassing for everyone involved but Florida State.”

Olson agreed with that take from Staples. If this was the Miami from the first four weeks, a 14.5-point spread might be far too much. However, with how their last five games have gonr, he isn’t sure if the Hurricanes will keep it respectable now.

“A month ago? You would have said, ‘Man, Miami is talented enough?”. If they can take care of their business, you’d think +14.5 points? That’s too many. This team is too talented to get pushed around by Florida State. Maybe they can put them in the danger zone,” Olson said. “But, man, I don’t love the disconcerting signals from Miami lately.”

At 4-0, Miami was making a case as some form of contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Since the kneeling disaster against Georgia Tech, though, the Hurricanes are 2-3. The two wins are both overtime victories with one over Clemson, which isn’t as significant as it usually is on the record, and Virginia.

Add in that they’re coming off their worst loss yet and the picks were very clear in this segment. With Florida State being a playoff contender, Staples and Olson both expect it to be a rowdy environment for the Seminoles against an in-state conference rival inside Doak Campbell.

“I say all this to say it’s going to be a fun night in Tallahassee, I think,” said Staples. “I think Florida State covers.”