Florida State’s loss to Virginia on Friday night was its first defeat of the season, but it would long be remembered as a blown opportunity. Many had hoped ESPN to have the FSU-Miami game slotted next, but College GameDay will return to SEC country instead. They have hit the road again, this time heading to Tuscaloosa as Alabama will play host to Vanderbilt in the upcoming Week 6 action.

Florida State versus Miami is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 4, and will be the first contest under the lights in the newly renovated venue to be televised on ABC this coming weekend. So what if ESPN’s flagship college football program chose to reject broadcasting from Tallahassee this coming weekend? For one, Florida State’s website logged the game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium as already sold out. Moreover, numbers tell a different story.

Contrast cuts deeper than optics, and the excitement about the game is just as alive as it was back in the day. As per ‘SeatGeek‘, the cheapest ticket for Saturday’s contest is going for $313, and goes up to $5000+, with some special ticket rates as high as $58,085. On the other hand, tickets for Vanderbilt vs. Alabama start from $145 and go up to $6,685.

At 4-0 and 3-1, Miami vs. Florida State is an exciting game. Both sides are fierce rivals, and anyone who has grown up watching the ‘3 yards and a cloud of dust,’ seeing the athleticism and plays on both sides would relish the upcoming game. Not to forget, the matchup also has playoff implications. If Florida State wins Week 6, the team will be right in the middle of the conversation once again. Alternatively, if the Hurricanes manage to extend their win streak, they will take over as the best ACC team.

ESPN’s decision ultimately may have been disappointing, but it is also understandable. Sure, both games—Miami vs FSU and Vanderbilt vs Alabama—have an undefeated team going to a team with one loss, but factor in recency bias. While FSU lost on the road to Virginia as recently as Friday, Alabama showed its dominance over the Georgia Bulldogs after a disappointing loss to the Seminoles in their season opener. But that’s not all.

There’s history from not so long ago. The last time Bama and Vandy met, the No. 1 team in the nation was a perfect 4-0 and on a high note after defeating Georgia the week prior. Vandy, an unranked team at the time coming off a loss to Missouri to end September 2024, had the resolve to turn things around. They did so in a spectacular fashion and beat Bama 40-35. They wound up making it to a bowl game with their first winning season in a decade. Following that up with the Commodores off to a 5-0 start this season so far, along with a national ranking, certainly makes for good television. ESPN is looking to deliver exactly that with the upcoming rematch.

The last time College GameDay was at Florida State was in 2014. It was for the high-profile matchup between the Seminoles (No. 2) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (No. 5). Both teams had entered the game 6-0, but it was Florida State who ultimately won, 31-27.

FSU versus Miami will be more than just about their historic rivalry. The atmosphere at Doak S. Campbell Stadium is expected to be electric, with Florida State hosting a major recruiting weekend. Approximately one hundred plus recruits from all classes will be there to witness both sides outplay each other. Miami remains the favorite to win with ESPN’s prediction logging the Canes with a 65.3% chance to defeat Florida State on Saturday.