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Miami v. Florida State Football Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on September 3, 2009

miami fsu 9309 The Miami Hurricanes take on the Florida State Seminoles on Labor Day at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles enter the season as the favorite to win the ACC and NCAA football odds makers have listed FSU as the 6.5-point favorite to win this game with the total set at 47.5.

FSU is coming off a nine-win season which saw it go 5-3 in conference play, capping things off with a 42-13 clubbing of Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl. Randy Shannon enters his second season as Miami head honcho looking to improve on a promising seven-win campaign. At one point, the Canes won five straight last season, including an upset over ACC champion Virginia Tech. Get ready to hang on to your hats if this year’s matchup is anything like last years when FSU won a 41-39 shootout in Miami.

With Robert Marve transferring, the Miami offense belongs solely to sophomore signal caller Jacory Harris. Harris played well in both of his starts last season and figures to benefit from the team’s top two tailbacks and top four wideouts coming back. Junior tailback Graig Cooper is expected to be a vital part of the offense after leading the team in rushing and averaging nearly five yards per carry. The team is expecting big things from wide receivers Aldarius Johnson and Travis Benjamin. The 6-2 Johnson poses matchup problems against most corners and Benjamin is coming off a season in which he earned Freshman All-American accolades. The offensive line looks to be a strength with Orlando Franklin, Joel Figueroa and Jason Fox anchoring the unit. Offensively, major improvement lies with how well Harris can run the show.

Defensively, Miami isn’t anywhere near the team that used to dominate week in and week out, but it is making progress. With eight starters back, more improvement should be on the way. Up front, the Canes will rely on end Marcus Robinson and tackle Allen Bailey, who combined for 71 stops and nine sacks last season. The linebacker corps is led by sophomore Sean Spence, who is coming off a solid 82-tackle season, with 7.5 of those stops being for a loss. The Canes seem to always put very speedy athletic players on the field in the secondary and that will once again be the case in 2009. Six players return in the defensive backfield with starting experience. It will be interesting to see how Miami uses converted wide receiver Sam Shields who was voted Miami Special Teams Player of the Year last season. He is the fastest player on the roster, clocked at 4.2 in the forty. If you are expecting another close, thrilling game in this rivalry, bet Miami at +6.5 at Bookmaker to get a 20% cash sign up bonus.

The Seminoles had been missing their dominant ground attack we were always so used to seeing, but they rediscovered it in 2008 when they averaged nearly 180 yards per game. With team’s worried about the run, quarterback Christian Ponder will have the opportunity to excel if he’s up to the challenge. Last season was a learning one for Ponder, who completed just 55.7 percent of his passes and threw only one more touchdown than interception. Without wide receivers Gregg Carr and Preston Parker, Ponder will look to build some chemistry with Taiwan Eaterling and Bert Reed. Without running back Antone Smith, who scored 15 touchdowns and averaged 4.5 yards per carry, Jermaine Thomas is going to have to step up. I expect him to do just that. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry in limited action a season ago. The biggest strength for FSU is its offensive line which returns all five up front and will be one of the best units in the league. Rodney Hudson was a 1st-Team All-ACC pick in 2008 and Andrew Datko earned Freshman All-American honors.

Defensively, the Seminoles put a very fast, athletic unit on the field in 2008, which held the opposition under 300 yards per game, but only five starters are back. New guys are definitely going to be counted on to step up. Senior linebacker Dekoda Watson, who had eight tackles for loss in 2008, is one of those guys. Bowden is very high on him and loves his 4.3 speed. If you like the Seminoles to hold serve at home and cover the number in the process, bet FSU at -6.5 at Bookmaker.

Are you ready to bet on football? Bet your college football picks at Bookmaker to take advantage of early lines and great 20% cash sign up bonus!

Make sure you check Jimmy Boyd’s football picks package to see which side he’s betting before laying down on this one!

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