Florida State at Miami not on ESPN Game picks byproduct of Seminoles decline

Florida State at Miami used to be the most important game of the year in college football. With Florida State entering the game at Miami on Saturday with a 1-6 record, the contest was not chosen as one for the ESPN College Gameday analysts to pick this week.

There was just over a one-minute segment on ESPN College Gameday earlier in the show before picks were made. Stanford Steve Coughlin highlighted Miami over Florida State as one of his picks. Lee Corso who played at Florida State picked the Seminoles as his superdog on Saturday.

Those picks were made ahead of the picks made at the end of ESPN Gameday every Saturday during the college football season. ESPN Gameday was not alone in not picking the Florida State at Miami game on Saturday. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy did not pick the FSU at Miami game in his Always College Football podcast.

ESPN was not the only network to pass on picking the Florida State at Miami game. Pro Football Focus who has included Miami for most of the 2024 season did not preview the Hurricanes in their "College Football Week 9 Preview: Storylines, matchups and predictions for the biggest games."

The story ESPN did have on Gameday about the Florida State at Miami game mostly highlighted the history. Miami attempting to break a three-game losing streak to Florida State and the Seminoles attempting to avoid an ignominious record were the only present facts mentioned on Gameday on Saturday.

Florida State has to beat sixth-ranked Miami on Saturday to avoid becoming the second team ever to begin a season ranked in the top 10 and lose seven of its first eight games to begin the season. Illinois began the 1954 season ranked sixth nationally and finished 1-8. Florida State began the 2024 season 10th nationally.