The Florida State Seminoles take on the Miami Hurricanes. Check out our college football odds series for our Florida State Miami prediction and pick.

The Florida State Seminoles were not good enough to beat the top teams in the ACC's Atlantic Division. The Seminoles lost to Clemson, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State. There's no shame in that. Those programs are better than FSU, and they have been better for the past few years. However, if you're Florida State, you know you need to improve to the extent that those programs don't remain better, certainly not Wake and N.C. State.

Beating a weak Miami team is an absolute necessity for coach Mike Norvell. If he can't beat this very diminished and unimpressive version of the Hurricanes, there will be a firestorm of criticism in Tallahassee. The good things Florida State did in the first month of the season — when it beat Brian Kelly and LSU and won on the road at Louisville — will not be remembered. It's crunch time for Florida State. This game should be viewed as a must-win situation.

Miami has been a disaster under head coach Mario Cristobal, and that transcends the important injuries the Hurricanes have had to deal with. Tyler Van Dyke did get hurt, but backup Jake Garcia had plenty of hype accompanying his recruitment and his arrival at Miami. He has not been able to give this offense a spark. It's true that receiver Xavier Restrepo should be available for this game, but we need to see if he can seamlessly blend back into the offense after his injury earlier in the year. Restrepo was Van Dyke's favorite target. Can he establish a good rapport with Garcia?

Beyond the passing game, Miami simply hasn't been able to do much of anything on offense. The run game hasn't worked. The offensive line hasn't played well. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has struggled to find solutions for this unit. The Hurricanes were held without a touchdown in a four-overtime game last week versus Virginia. Miami scored two field goals in 60 regulation minutes, and then two field goals in two overtime possessions which (of course) started at the Virginia 25-yard line. Essentially, Miami scored only six points on possessions which moved the ball down the field. Overtime possessions don't require forward movement to score field goals, since those possessions begin in field goal range. Miami needs a dramatic improvement on offense to have a real chance in this game.

Here are the Florida State-Miami NCAA Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Florida State-Miami Odds

Florida State Seminoles: -7.5 (-110)

Miami Hurricanes: +7.5 (-110)

Over: 53.5 (-110)

Under: 53.5 (-110)

Why Florida State Could Cover the Spread

The Miami offense is just not up to the job. Not scoring a single touchdown in a four-overtime game against Virginia is pathetic. Florida State should be able to smother Miami's offense. Getting an average to slightly-above-average performance on offense should be more than enough to win.

Why Miami Could Cover the Spread

The Hurricanes' ability to win at Virginia showed a lot of toughness on a day when the offense was misfiring. The Miami defense can contain the Florida State offense and create a low-scoring game the Canes can win in the fourth quarter.

Final Florida State-Miami Prediction & Pick

Miami's offense is a total mess. Florida State should win this game easily. It's one of the better plays on the whole board this weekend in college football.

Final Florida State-Miami Prediction & Pick: Florida State -7.5