College Football Weekend Watch Party: Can Miami And Florida State Party Like It's 1991?

Editor's note: Every Friday, we'll use this space to tell you about the college football game you absolutely need to watch that weekend, even if it's flying under the radar. It might not always be the matchup of the two best teams, but it will definitely be the most entertaining contest. Because fun is what college football is all about, right?

Warning: this is one of the weakest college football weekends of the season. Thankfully, there's an intriguing 1990s throwback game between Miami and No. 12 Florida State in Tallahassee.

Once upon a time, this was one of the meanest rivalries in college football, a must-watch matchup, an in-state blood feud with annual national title implications. Miami was still The U, loathed and loved in equal measure, producing NFL prospects by the bushel. Florida State was arguably the top program in the country, and might have won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992 if not for crushing, last-minute losses to the Hurricanes in "Wide Right I" and "Wide Right II."

In recent years, the rivalry has gone from a roaring boil to a so-so simmer, largely because Miami hasn't been nationally relevant since losing the national title game to Ohio State in 2002. Still, storylines abound. First and foremost, it could be a win-or-else contest for Miami coach Al Golden.

Golden was hired in late 2010--right before Miami was rocked by a major scandal involving a booster allegedly giving players all sorts of extra benefits, from cash to rides on his yacht to money for an abortion. Golden tried to distance himself from the bad news, but he hasn't been able to put together an elite team.

The result? A coaching hot seat, with "Fire Al Golden" banners now flying at Miami games. Earlier this year, it looked like the program might have turned a bit of a corner by beating Nebraska, but a subsequent loss to Cincinnati has curbed any enthusiasm. Avoiding scandals is nice, but winning is better. And a win at Florida State might be the only thing that can save Golden's job.

Meanwhile, Florida State is 5-0, but isn't being taken very seriously as title contenders. Inconsistent offense is largely to blame: FSU beat Wake Forest 24-16 last week, which is kind of like Duke beating Florida Atlantic in basketball 38-22. Bottom line? We don't really know how good the Seminoles actually are. We'll get a hint this weekend.

Like defense? Then this is your jam. The combined over/under of 35 points is the lowest mark in Northwestern history, but that's what you get when you match up two nationally elite defenses against two mediocre-to-bad offenses. This game likely won't be super-exciting, especially if you enjoy touchdowns, but it probably will be close and it's the only matchup this week of two Top 20 teams.

Arkansas has recovered from a disastrous start that included losses to Toledo and Texas Tech, while Alabama's romp over Georgia proves the Crimson Tide are back on course after losing to Ole Miss. Arkansas probably won't win this game, but it was close last year, and there's reason to believe the Razorbacks can once again make Nick Saban sweat.

Okay, hear me out. Maryland coach Randy Edsall knows he's going to be fired after this game, and now he's quoting Wiz Khalifa to let everyone how he ain't scared:

Maryland has a very bad team and will likely lose this game by four or five touchdowns. But what if Edsall just says screw it, goes for it on fourth down every time, onside kicks every time and throws it deep on every play? If you know it's your last game, and that game is against the No. 1 team in the country, why not set the controls for the center of the sun?

I'm not completely convinced this is going to be a great game, because I don't believe in Cal--but I also thought USC was going to come back to win the Pac-12, and then Trojans went out and lost to lowly Washington on Thursday. So who knows? Everyone else thinks this will be a good game, and often the consensus is right. Expect lots of points, and also a comfortable Utah win.

This game is getting the afternoon ABC treatment because both teams were supposed to be good. Problem is, Nebraska is 2-3 with an underperforming offense and awful defense, while Wisconsin is 3-2, with three wins over cupcakes and losses to the only good teams it's played in Alabama and Iowa. There won't be a ton of scoring in this one, and there won't be a lot of explosive plays, either. It will just be boring.