Skip to main content
Miami

It's Gameday! Time to reflect on the greatest Miami Hurricanes vs. FSU games of all time

by: Luke Chaney10/04/25LChaney_
On3 image
Florida State cornerback Renardo Green gets physical with Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. in the 2023 game. (USA Today Sports Images)

Miami and Florida State form one of the greatest rivalries not only in college football, but in American sports. Throughout the years, this game has produced countless memorable moments and decided national championships.

This year’s matchup, which will kick off tonight from Doak S. Campbell Stadium, is arguably the most highly anticipated meeting between the two teams in over a decade. This is the first game since 2013 where both squads are entering this game ranked in the top 20 of the AP Poll (for the sake of comparison, there were 11 consecutive top-20 matchups between Miami and FSU from 1984 to 1994).

The Hurricanes came out on top in their most recent game against the Seminoles winning 36-14 and increasing their series lead to 36-33. Let’s take a look at the 10 greatest battles of this rivalry, in chronological order.

1983: No. 6 Miami 17, Florida State 16
+++ Miami and Florida State was not yet the legendary rivalry it is today, but this was the earliest example of a thrilling battle between the two squads that ended up having championship implications. The unranked Seminoles gave Miami all it could handle, but a 19-yard field goal as time expired by Jeff Davis gave the Hurricanes a pivotal win on their way to an 11-1 record and their first national championship. Florida State finished the season with a 7-5 record.

1987: No. 3 Miami 26, No. 4 Florida State 25
+++ The first top-10 matchup of this rivalry is considered by many to be the most thrilling. The Seminoles leapt out to a 19-3 lead before Miami stormed back in the second half, taking a 26-19 lead in the fourth quarter. FSU scored a last-minute touchdown to bring Bobby Bowden’s squad to within one, but a failed two-point conversion attempt cemented a crucial win for the Canes. Miami ended the year undefeated with its second national championship. This was the Seminoles’ only loss of the season, as they finished 11-1 with a win over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.

1991: No. 2 Miami 17, No. 1 Florida State 16
+++ Kicking blunders are a major theme of this rivalry, and no mistake is more than memorable than the missed kick that started it all, earning the 1991, highly anticipated meeting the name, “Wide Right I.” FSU had an opportunity to take a late lead, but kicker Gerry Thomas missed a 34-yard field goal right of the uprights with 29 seconds remaining. The Hurricanes ended the year by winning their third national championship, while the Seminoles won the Cotton Bowl over Texas A&M to finish with a 10-2 record.

1992: No. 2 Miami 19, No. 3 Florida State 16
+++ Fans didn’t have to wait long for the next classic game of this rivalry. The Hurricanes and the Seminoles faced off again in a top-3 showdown, with the contest ending eerily similar to the year before. Kicker Dan Mowrey missed a 39-yard field goal as time expired, extinguishing FSU’s national title hopes. Miami missed out on the title after losing in the Sugar Bowl to Alabama, and FSU won its last seven games of the season after falling to the Hurricanes to end at 11-1 and No. 2 in the last AP Poll.

1993: No. 1 Florida State 28, No. 3 Miami 10
+++ While the game itself wasn’t as thrilling as some of the previous matchups between Miami and Florida State, this was an important win for the Seminoles, who avenged the heartbreak of the two previous series losses to trounce the Hurricanes on their way to a 12-1 record and their first national championship. Miami lost two of its last three games of the season to end at 9-3.

2000: No. 7 Miami 27, No. 1 Florida State 24
+++ Despite a whopping 496 passing yards from FSU quarterback Chris Weinke, Miami edged out the Noles thanks to a last-minute touchdown from quarterback Ken Dorsey to tight end Jeremy Shockey. FSU kicker Matt Munyon had a chance to tie the game on the final drive but missed a 47-yard field goal to claim this game the nickname, “Wide Right III.” The Hurricanes defeated Florida in the Sugar Bowl and posted a 12-1 record and a No. 2 ranking in the final AP Poll. FSU lost to national champion Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, 13-2, finishing the year with an 11-2 record.

2004: No. 1 Miami 28, No. 9 Florida State 27
+++ Instead of a potentially game-winning FSU field goal sailing right, this one was wide to the left of the crossbar. Xavier Beitia’s missed 43-yard attempt sealed a massive win for the Hurricanes, extending their win streak to 28 games. The Hurricanes made their way to a second consecutive championship but lost to Ohio State to end the year with a 12-1 record. FSU finished at 9-5.

2016: No. 23 Florida State 20, No. 10 Miami 19
+++ This was the first Canes vs. Noles game in years that had a vintage feel to it. Both teams, ranked in the top 25, battled it out for four quarters. The Hurricanes had a chance to tie the game after scoring a late touchdown, but FSU defensive end DeMarcus Walker blocked the ensuing extra point to secure a Seminoles win. This was the latest game in the rivalry that was decided on a special teams error. Miami won its last five games of the year to end the year with nine wins for just the third time since 2005. FSU also won its last five games of the season to boast a 10-3 record and an Orange Bowl win over Michigan.

2017: No. 13 Miami 24, Florida State 20
+++ Heading into this matchup, Florida State had won the last seven games of the rivalry, and late in the fourth quarter, it looked like it was about to win its eighth. Trailing by three with 1:18 to go, quarterback Malik Rosier led Miami on a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a 23-yard pass to wide receiver Darrell Langham with six seconds left. This was the first marquee win for a Hurricanes squad that won its first 10 games of the season and climbed to high as No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings but dropped its last three games following this ranking. FSU finished with a 7-6 record and failed to win at least eight games for the first time since 2009.

2021: Florida State 31, Miami 28
+++ Entering this game, Florida State was in an unusually dark place as a program. It was on its way to a fourth straight losing campaign, but a late-season, nail-biting win over its bitter rival, which featured a 4th-and-14 conversion on the game-winning touchdown drive, generated the Seminoles some much-needed momentum. Miami ended the year with a 7-5 record, leading to head coach Manny Diaz’s dismissal, while FSU finished 5-7.

You may also like