Florida State Seminoles

Does Miami Have a Florida State Hangover Effect?

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

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Oct 10, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State player Jesus Wilson (3) is hit by Miami defender Jermaine Grace (5) as Florida State beats Miami 29-24 at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports

Since losing to Florida State on October 8, there has been a lot of talk centered around those in the Miami Hurricanes community on if they have a hangover effect after they play Florida State.

Commencing with the 2010 season, the Hurricanes have lost seven straight games to the Seminoles. The streak began just six years after Miami had a six-game winning streak between 2000-04 that included a win in the 2004 Orange Bowl game.

The streak also coincided with Jimbo Fisher taking over for Bobby Bowden in 2010.

Florida State won three out of five games in between the two streaks. Dating to the 2006 season, the Seminoles have defeated Miami in ten of the last 12 meetings.

This season’s win put the Seminoles ahead 30-29 all-time in the series. That obliterated the 28-17 edge Miami had after they beat Florida State 16-10 in their first ACC meeting in 2004.

The Streak began in Randy Shannon‘s last season. The theory has proved inconsistent over the last seven years. In the seven games that immediately followed Florida State during the seven-game losing streak to the Seminoles, Miami is 4-3.

The streak seems worse than it is largely because they have lost the game immediately following the FSU game in three of the past four seasons and because it sparked losing streaks in two of those three seasons. This year is still to be determined.

The Hurricanes followed last season’s loss to Florida State with a 30-20 victory at home over Virginia Tech, ironically their opponent this week. The question of the FSU hangover is likely partially being posed because after the loss to the Hokies, Miami suffered a 58-0 loss at home to Clemson. That was the worst home loss in school history.

Al Golden was fired after the loss to the Tigers. Larry Scott was given the tag of interim Head Coach. Their first game was the Miracle in Durham, that started a streak that sparked the Hurricanes to finish the regular season with four wins in their last five games.

The 2013 and ’14 seasons were a very different story. Miami entered the 2013 game with FSU somewhat similar to this season. They won seven straight to start the 2013 season, including 3-0 in the ACC. They traveled to Tallahassee with the Nation’s number seven ranking.

Like this season, they defeated Georgia Tech in the ACC opener. FSU crushed Miami 41-14 and the Hurricanes fell to 14th in the rankings. That began a three-game losing streak. The Hurricanes lost to Virginia Tech 42-24 and Duke 48-30 in the following weeks.

The loss to the Hokies knocked the Hurricanes out of the top 25, similarly to the loss to North Carolina did this year. The difference is that this season, the ‘Canes suffered a pair of close losses. Miami was able to salvage the season by winning the last two games against Virginia and Pittsburgh.

Miami would conclude the 2013 season with a 36-9 loss to Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

The ‘Canes also had a win over then number 12 Florida in the second game of that season. The Gators did not live up to their high ranking. They finished the season 4-8 in what was Will Muschamp’s second to last season in Gainesville.

Nov 2, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Dallas Crawford (25) runs the ball past Florida State Seminoles linebacker Christian Jones (7) during the first half at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Miami entered the 2014 game against Florida State 6-3 , 3-2 in the ACC and riding a three-game winning streak. The Hurricanes averaged 44 points per game in victories over Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and North Carolina (ironic to this season).

Florida State beat the Hurricanes 30-26 in Tallahassee and the Miami season spiraled out of control after that. They ended the regular season with losses to Virginia and Pittsburgh and concluded the year with a 24-21 loss to South Carolina in the Independence Bowl.

The Hurricanes were outscored by an average of nine points per game in the losses to conclude the 2014 season. They finished the season 6-7 and Golden was fortunate to keep his job before being let go halfway through last season.

What about the seasons in which Miami didn’t lose the week after their matchup with Florida State? In 2010 after FSU crushed the Hurricanes 45-17 in South Florida, Miami managed to win four of their next five.

The Hurricanes were 7-3 through ten games and seemed poised to grab one of the ACC’s higher slotted bowl bids. They fell to Virginia Tech and South Florida in their final two regular season games before they lost to Notre Dame 33-17 in the Sun Bowl.

The 2011 team won 6-3 at South Florida the week after FSU and lost their season finale 24-17 to Boston College to finish 6-6. They did not go to a bowl game as they were in the first of two seasons of a self-imposed probation as a fallout from the Nevin Shapiro scandal.

In 2012, the Hurricanes won three of their last four to finish 7-5 after the Seminoles beat them 33-20 in Miami Gardens. Their only loss was a 41-40 defeat at Virginia.

What all this means during the losing streak to FSU is hard to say. The Hurricanes were 11-11 under Golden after losses to FSU. They were 7-9 under Golden overall and 4-2 under Larry Scott after losing to the Noles last season

In the final year of the Shannon regime, Miami finished the season 4-2 after losing to the Seminoles.

Asked about the possible hangover effect after losing to Florida State by Andrew Carter of the Charlotte NewsObserver Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post said:

“11-11 under Al Golden following FSU losses, with some of the least-inspired football you’ll see at this level. Miami’s FSU hangovers have been brutal. The Hurricanes always come out of that week nursing wounds both mental and physical.”

The consensus seems to be that the team suffers a let down after FSU, but the .500 record would seem to indicate a fall into mediocrity. In their championship era, that would have been considered a hangover. It’s hard to determine if that would be accurate now.

The Hurricanes talked about the Hangover effect going into the Independence Bowl against South Carolina in 2014. Junior Defensive Tackle Calvin Heurtelou said “We haven’t been the same since Florida State”

Quarterback Brad Kaaya who was a freshman in 2014 said:

“A lot of guys were hurting after that game,” Kaaya added. “It was a big game for a lot of people. At the same time, we have to be able to bounce back from that. We were still bowl eligible, and there were still games to play after that. We have to be able to bounce back.”

Next: Will the Miami Hurricanes Offensive Woes be Blamed for Losses

Whether the Hurricanes are still lamenting the lost chance against Florida State, they can still win the ACC Coastal Division with some help. They have the opportunity to go out and prove the hangover effect is just that.