A big-time ACC Saturday showdown is on tap at 3:30 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium as the Miami Hurricanes host the Florida State Seminoles. These in-state rivals are coming off important conference wins as they chase division leaders Clemson and Virginia Tech. Mark Richt's Hurricanes are rolling, having won four straight while averaging 44 points a game. Willie Taggart was pumped after notching his first ACC win last week in the 'Noles dramatic 28-24 come-from-behind victory in Louisville. Miami opened as a 13-point favorite and now is laying 14 in the latest Miami vs. FSU odds. The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has dropped from 52.5 to 48.5. Before making your Miami vs. FSU picks, be sure to check out what Emory Hunt has to say.
Hunt is the founder of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of college football since 2007. Loaded with decades of college football expertise, including playing running back at Louisiana-Lafayette, Hunt is an incredible 8-1 in his previous nine spread picks for or against Florida State.
Now, Hunt has scrutinized Florida State vs. Miami from every possible angle to reveal a strong point-spread pick that he's only sharing at SportsLine.
Hunt is astutely aware that Miami quarterback N'Kosi Perry's rapid development could pay off immediate dividends. With each passing game, his confidence seems to build higher. He's becoming more assertive when pressured, moving the chains on clutch runs instead of throwing the ball away. He's already thrown for seven touchdowns in limited action.
Against the Tar Heels, he didn't have to be perfect. In fact, he threw just 12 passes for 125 yards and one score as star running backs Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas did most of the heavy lifting. Homer, a junior, is averaging 5.8 yards per carry and leads the team with 364 yards. Sophomore DeeJay Dallas is at 338 with a pair of touchdowns.
Just because Miami has several strong pieces on offense, doesn't mean the Hurricanes will cover on Saturday.
Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois should eclipse the 5,000-yard career mark on Saturday and has tossed 30 career touchdowns. Against Louisville, he was an efficient 16-for-27 with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He doesn't run much but when called on is effective. He has scored two of the Seminoles' four rushing touchdowns for the season.
Francois' top two receiving targets are effective in finding open spaces in secondaries. Nyqwan Murray is tops with 345 receiving yards. The senior has found pay dirt twice this season and 11 times for his career. Freshman Tamorrion Terry has made a major impact in a short amount of time. He leads FSU with four TD grabs.
We can tell you Hunt is leaning toward the Over, but he has uncovered a crucial X-factor that determines which side of the spread you should jump on. He's only sharing it over at SportsLine.
So which side of the spread should you back for FSU vs. Miami? And what's the crucial X-factor in this ACC contest? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to be all over, all from the expert who's riding a spectacular 8-1 streak involving the Seminoles.