Right now, Miami is not even on the board when it comes to ACC matchups, as the Hurricanes have faced Notre Dame, Bethune-Cookman, USF, and Florida before having a bye week. Miami will start ACC play this week, and it's a huge game on the docket.
It looked like this was going to be a game against undefeated teams until Florida State lost to Virginia on Friday to take its first loss of the season. That is huge for Miami in terms of the ACC race, and if it comes down to the Seminoles and the Hurricanes at the end of the season, one loss could make the difference.
However, that loss could mean that Miami players relax a little more than they should when, in reality, they are probably going to now face a very pissed off Florida State team. Now, Florida State doesn't have the pressure of being undefeated, but knowing they need a big win to help their resume after the Virginia loss, and Miami is the prime suspect for that.
Carson Beck needs to rally his team and keep them focused vs. Florida State
The good news is that Miami is coming off a bye week before heading into this big matchup, so the players will be well-rested and ready to go for this matchup. Again, that doesn't mean that the players can just rest on the fact that they are undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the country in order to beat this Florida State team.
This is still a very good Florida State football team, and while the defense looked below average against Virginia, Mike Norvell is probably hitting it home in practice that the defense has to get better.
Thomas Castellanos has shown he can be a great player, and he and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn have not just spent this season together, but have spent time at UCF together. Malzahn, up to this point, has had some really good calls for Castellanos, and he will probably bring his best in this matchup.
Carson Beck has played some of his best football since coming to Miami, and he will need to continue that trend against the Seminoles. Of course, this is an ACC matchup, but also an in-state matchup for who is really the best team in Florida. The Hurricanes have already taken down the Gators and the Bulls, and now they are looking to add the Seminoles to that list.