FSU Now A 22-Point Favorite Over UM
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – It almost feels like the 1990's with the hype building around the annual Florida State Seminoles vs. Miami Hurricanes game. It's a battle of undefeated Top 10 teams with major implications for the ACC Championship and the BCS National Championship.
Just don't tell oddsmakers. They see the game as a potential blowout and have pegged the Seminoles as a 22 point favorite as of Tuesday, up from an initial line of 21 points on Monday.
Remember, the Seminoles are ranked number three in the latest Bowl Championship Series rankings and the Hurricanes are ranked seventh. That makes a line of more than three touchdowns unheard of in recent history.
According to collegefootballtalk.com, the point spread is the largest for a pair of top ten teams this late in the season since 1980. CFT.com reported a pair of top ten teams having a double-digit point spread has happened just twice (Texas vs. Oklahoma State in 2008; and Miami vs. Ohio State, 2002 BCS Game).
So why is the point spread so big for the FSU vs. Miami game? It's the perceived strength of Florida State and weakness of Miami in recent games.
FSU demolished Maryland 63-0, beat then-third ranked Clemson 51-14, and scored 35 points in the first quarter against North Carolina State on the way to a 49-17 snoozer. Those teams are 15-8 on the season.
On the other side of the field, Miami waited until the final minute of its last two games against North Carolina and Wake Forest before pulling out a victory. The Canes also struggled against a tough Georgia Tech team. Combined, those three teams Miami beat have a record of 11-12 on the season.
Neither team is engaging in the bravado that used to characterize this matchup, but the Canes will be trying to do something not many believe they can do, win at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Still, if history has proven one thing it's that when a rivalry game begins, the records are thrown out the window and anything is possible on a given Saturday.
