Mario Cristobal Highlights The Importance of The Miami vs. Florida State Rivalry
Florida State-Miami. This is the biggest football rivalry in the ACC and they will battle once again on Saturday night.
In years past, this game has produced instant classics. This time around, this could be the biggest blowout in program history for FSU. No. 6 Miami (7-0, 3-0 ACC) has been so dominant on offense that the Hurricanes are currently favored by 19.5 points against the Seminoles (1-6, 1-5 ACC). It could be even more.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal knows the importance of this game and the emphasis of highlighting it to the players. He has played in many of them and knows at the end of the day it is still all about winning the game.
"You'd be surprised at how many guys you would think wouldn't be familiar with it that are familiar with it," Cristobal said. "I think that it's important that we always educate our players about the history of the University of Miami. Such an insanely awesome rivalry like we always had with Florida State. At the same time making sure that the main thing stays the main things so that we don't spill over into emotional play and stuff that doesn't contribute to winning."
He knows the players are excited about this game, especially coming from the questionable calls that cost the Canes last season from upsetting the undefeated 2023 FSU team. That also comes with the extra energy that comes with playing a rival. Look at what the Hurricanes did the the Florida Gators in the season opener.
"The response and the excitement is what you could imagine. I don't think the rivalry and the juice and the energy behind it will ever change. It's Florida State Miami and certainly looking forward to a great challenge and a great opportunity," Cristobal said.
