The schedule favors Miami too. The Hurricanes last played on October 3 and get 2 full weeks before this one. Florida State played Friday night in Louisville and gets 8 days to repair that run defense before getting on a plane again. That trip carries baggage. The Louisville loss was FSU's 11th straight on the road, and it dropped Mike Norvell to 41-37 overall and 23-28 in ACC play in Tallahassee. The board has the Seminoles as a 3-touchdown underdog.
Central Arkansas34-7
Florida A&M77-7
Look at how the two teams have spent their 5 games. Miami has won all 5 by at least 13 and handled the 2 road trips that tested it, at Wake Forest and at Clemson, with no drama. Florida State's 2 wins came at home against Central Arkansas and Virginia, while its 2 road games ended in a 50-point day for Alabama and a second-half collapse at Louisville. The Seminoles have the talent to look like a real team in Tallahassee. They have not shown that team away from home.
Both injury lists are thin at the same spots. Miami has lost 2 tight ends, O. Ruskavich and L. Gilbert, plus receiver J. Moore and running back C. Brown for the year. A blowout of Clemson suggests the Hurricanes haven't missed them much, but there's less depth behind Fletcher than a 5-0 record suggests. Florida State is without running back S. Singleton Jr. and receiver D. Carter. That pulls weapons away from the one unit that has kept the Seminoles in games.
Then there's the weather. The early forecast calls for 84 degrees with a 48 percent chance of rain and 12 mph of wind in Miami Gardens, which is enough to turn a shootout into a game played on the ground. For Florida State that's either a relief or the worst-case scenario, depending on whether the defense from the first quarter at Louisville shows up or the one from the last 3. Saturday, October 17 will answer that, and it's a rivalry game, so Miami won't be easing off.