National Game of the Week: #3 Miami @ #18 Florida State
It’s not a great week for top tier showdowns, but this game definitely matters in many different ways. It’s one of only two games of the week between two ranked opponents, though that doesn’t automatically make it the best game of the week. It has major ACC title implications, with both teams vying for a top-two slot as Clemson has descending to out of the conversation. The bigger storyline is the history between the programs. Just as I started watching college football in the early-‘90s, they were two of the top programs in the country and Florida State kept losing to the Canes by kicking FGs wide right. They were back atop the country in the early-’00s and played absolute classics in both ‘00 and ‘02 before bizarrely lining up for three consecutive Orange Bowls from ‘04-’06. The rivalry has strangely lost some of its luster since both teams have been in the same conference, but a great game here could restore some of that shine.
Also of note
- #9 Texas @ Florida- Both teams have been disappointing so far to different degrees. There’s little shame in Texas losing to Ohio State in Columbus, but they have not really looked good even in their wins. Florida has been a disaster and Billy Napier is coaching for his job week to week. Will their natural talent be able to show through against another team not firing on all cylinders? Will Arch Manning look better in The Swamp than he did in the Horseshoe?
- #24 Virginia @ Louisville- Off the back of a thrilling win over Florida State, Virginia will try to step ahead of the morass following Miami atop the ACC. Louisville is still undefeated and also in the mix as a potential ACC Champion. It’s not a game many had circled before the season, but the implications are big.
- #11 Texas Tech @ Houston- Like the previous game, these are two teams who hoped to work their way to the top of their conference. A third of the way through the season, they have made more progress than most expected. Houston is one of the best unranked teams and this game will be a great challenge for a Texas Tech team that has looked like the class of the Big 12.
- #16 Vanderbilt @ #10 Alabama- Last year, Bama’s loss in Nashville started the fans turning on Kalen Deboer. As it turns out, Vandy is just good. A year later and it looks like a fair fight, even in Tuscaloosa.