The Miami Hurricanes will return to the football field after having a bye week. It gives the team a chance to heal any minor injuries and also receive extra time to prepare for another intense in-state battle, this time against the Florida State Seminoles. A program coming off an upsetting loss from the Virginia Cavaliers, with a final score of 46-38 in double overtime.
The Hurricanes have a tough task at hand, playing their first road game of the season. The last time Mario Cristobal and the team traveled to Tallahassee was the 2023 season, which resulted in a loss, with a final score of 27-20.
This matchup is also an opportunity for Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck to bounce back from his sloppy performance against the Florida Gators. It's also the first time he will face the Seminoles on their home turf.
Beck faced the Seminoles only once in his collegiate career, in the 2023 season, with the Georgia Bulldogs. It was in the Orange Bowl, and he completed 13 of 18 passes, 72.2 percent, for 203 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs dominated the Seminoles, resulting in a final score of 63-3 in regulation.
If Beck manages to repeat history, but in a different setting, that could help him regain ground in the Heisman Trophy race. To begin the season, the redshirt senior started a strong campaign, but it took a hit after the Gator matchup. Now, heading into this week's game, there's a lot of ground to make up.
In a recent ranking by On3, Beck dropped to seventh in the race, tying with defensive lineman Rueben Bain, his teammate.
"Beck is coming off arguably his worst outing of the season," they wrote. "He failed to find the end zone and was picked off once, at a critical juncture in the game."
Beck was listed fifth after week four, so On3 finished with him taking a drastic drop.
"The game against Florida State will give him a chance to help cement Miami as a surefire College Football Playoff frontrunner," they added.
Of course, Beck isn't too focused on the personal accolades and prioritizes team success above all.
In the latest AP Polls, the Hurricanes ranked third; meanwhile, the Seminoles fell tremendously to 18th.
Despite the disappointment of this matchup not being against a couple of teams in the top 10, it will still be a tough environment that Cristobal, Beck, and the team will have to overcome in order to pull through with a victory.
It could be another season-defining game for the Hurricanes, but there's a ton of excitement for it.