College football odds: Miami offense will test FSU's struggling defense

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes are a perfect 4–0 straight up and against the spread through their first four games of the season. The Hurricanes will try to pick up a fifth straight win at home this Saturday night against the Florida State Seminoles.

Miami is a three-point home favorite at Hard Rock Stadium at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Hurricane Matthew is not expected to force this game to be postponed, but could impact the weather in Miami on Saturday with heavy winds.

Through the first four games of the season, Miami ranks second in the nation in scoring defense allowing only 11 points per game and seventh in the nation in total defense allowing 253 yards per game.

The offense has also been fantastic for the Hurricanes, racking up 47 points per game fueled by 232.5 rushing yards per game. Miami’s 35–21 win on the road against Georgia Tech last week was impressive, but this week’s game against Florida State will easily be the biggest test this defense has faced.

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In their last 11 games as a home betting favorite, the Hurricanes are 10–1 SU and 8–3 ATS per the OddsShark College Football Database.

While the Hurricanes have had one of the best defenses in college football through the first month of the regular season, the Seminoles have had a disastrous year on that side of the ball.

Florida State has allowed 35.4 points per game through its first five games, and that number balloons up to 42.3 points per game if you throw out the 52–8 win over FCS team Charleston Southern. To improve on the team’s 3–2 SU and 2–3 ATS record down the stretch, Florida State is going to need to win in offensive shootouts given the way the defense is playing.

The total for Saturday’s matchup at Miami is set at 64.5. The OVER is 8–2 in Florida State’s last 10 games as a road underdog.

Florida State has won each of the last six games in this head-to-head series and covered the spread in two of the last three. Both of the last two games between the Seminoles and Hurricanes have been decided by five points or less, and Saturday’s game could be another that comes down to the wire.

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