Looking forward to real, live football, NoleNation takes a run through Florida State’s 2012 schedule, going game-by-game to find the best storylines and matchups of the upcoming season.

Miami Hurricanes

Saturday, Oct. 20: Sun Life Stadium, Davie, Fla.

2011 record: 6-6 (3-5 ACC). Miami had trouble building any momentum during coach Al Golden's first season. They won consecutive games just once -- topping North Carolina and Georgia Tech in mid-October -- but finished the year at .500 overall. All six of the Hurricanes' losses, however, were by eight points or fewer.

Coach: Al Golden (6-6, second season)

Series record: 57th meeting, Miami leads 31-25.

Players to watch: Stephen Morris (QB, Jr.) will take over the starting job from Jacory Harris; Mike James (RB, Jr.) had eight total touchdowns last season; Denzel Perryman (LB, So.) had 69 tackles, 6.5 for a loss and forced two fumbles in 2011; Vaughn Telemaque (S, Sr.) had 59 tackles and an interception last season.

Potential storylines:

1. Can FSU make it three in a row? Jimbo Fisher has yet to return Florida State to the lofty heights it reached in the 1980s and 90s, but if the first step in rebuilding the tradition is reclaiming the throne from the Seminoles' chief rivals, Fisher has been a rousing success. FSU has now toppled in-state rivals Florida and Miami in each of the past two seasons, and the Seminoles are likely to be heavily favored against the Hurricanes once again in 2012. Florida State hasn't beaten Miami three straight times since it took five in a row from 1995 through 1999.
2. Will FSU still be undefeated? Eight weeks into the season, it will be interesting to see how Florida State is handling the pressure if it is still undefeated heading into the Miami game. Certainly the Hurricanes have fallen from the lofty heights of their heyday, but given all the history of this rivalry, a matchup that features an undefeated FSU with national-title aspirations on the line against upstart Miami would certainly generate plenty of buzz.
3. Who will be left for Miami? This is the biggest question that will loom over the Hurricanes' entire season. NCAA sanctions are coming, and Miami has been proactive in trying to address the issues, including a self-imposed bowl ban last season. But odds are, that won't be enough, and for a team already in rebuilding mode, there's a decent chance a handful of veterans may also be off limits at some point during this season. Safety Ray-Ray Armstrong, for one, was dismissed from the team July 18 amid the controversy.

Fun fact: Action stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Sylvester Stallone attended school at Miami, though Stallone did not graduate.

Key matchup: Miami defensive line vs. FSU running game. The Seminoles mustered just 63 rushing yards in last year's win over Miami, a problem that was especially noticeable when it came time to run out the clock in the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes scored twice in the final six-and-a-half minutes to nearly complete the comeback, and FSU had no answers. And it wasn't as if the Hurricanes were a stout defense against the run. They finished eighth in the conference, allowing an average of more than 160 yards per game on the ground. This year's front should be at least marginally improved with the return of injured defensive tackle Curtis Porter and a trio of hefty freshmen added to the mix.

Miami will win if: The kids grow up fast. Miami will enter this season having lost its starting quarterback, leading rusher and top two receivers on offense, and will be expecting big contributions from freshmen like Tyriq McCord and Tracy Howard, among others, to step into big roles immediately on defense. On one hand, the turnover is a blessing as Golden works to revamp the culture at Miami. On the other hand, he'll be asking a lot of a talented but inexperienced group that will need to mature quite a bit during the first eight weeks of the season if it hopes to topple its in-state rival for the first time since 2009.

Noles will win if: They play a more complete football game. Last year's win was keyed by three early turnovers forced by the defense and an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by Greg Reid. Fisher would love a repeat performance, but not without some contributions from the offense. Miami actually outgained FSU by 124 yards last season, and the Seminoles offense turned in one of its ugliest performances of the season. Fisher's group averaged just 2.2 yards per carry on the ground and EJ Manuel was sacked three times. The offensive line will need to step up to secure a more well-rounded performance this time around.

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