Would Upset Win over Florida State Save Miami's Al Golden from Hot Seat?

Say this for embattled Miami head coach Al Golden: He's fully aware how important the next game is. It's Florida State week, and Golden's never defeated the Seminoles. He'll likely have to break that streak this year to save his job.

"It's a big game, right?" Can't act like it's not," Golden said about playing Florida State, per Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post.

Of course, Golden's to the point where one game can define his future. One month into his fifth season with the Hurricanes, Golden is 31-23. For reference, Golden's predecessor, Randy Shannon, went 28-22 before being let go.

Golden's last two games haven't exactly helped the hot-seat chatter, either. The Hurricanes blew a 23-point lead against Nebraska in Week 3, needing overtime to survive with a 36-33 win. Last Thursday, Miami lost 34-23 on the road to Cincinnati.

And as NBC Cincinnati's Matt Edwards and Fox 19's Jeremy Rauch noted, the "Fire Al Golden" banners were out in full force, too:

Despite Miami being 3-1, Golden's margin for error is undeniably thin. There have been more wins than losses, yes, but few of any real substance, as Linda Robertson of the Miami Herald opined last month:

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Golden has yet to illuminate his tenure with a spotlight win. There have been victories over Ohio State, Florida, Georgia Tech and Duke, but all those teams finished with unimpressive records. None of the ranked teams he’s beaten finished ranked. He’s 30-22 overall, 18-20 against FBS Power 5 conference teams and 0-12 against teams that finished ranked in the AP poll. He’s 0-4 against Florida State (but don’t forget that Butch Davis was 1-5 vs. FSU). UM has never won the ACC crown.

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The chance for a quality win starts with Florida State. It might not completely save Golden from the hot-seat talk, but it would cool it immensely.

For that matter, it doesn't end there. Miami gets Clemson at home later in the month of October. Going 2-0 against the ACC's top two teams? That'd definitely take Golden's hot-seat chatter from hot to practically nonexistent.

However, a bad loss to the Seminoles this weekend could mean Golden's job next week. Right now, Golden's living week-to-week.

What continues to ail Miami is finishing—or the inability to finish. Among the primary problems is the offense's inability to sustain drives. The Canes rank 127th—out of 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams—in third-down conversion percentage (24.53). That has to improve in what could very well be a defensive struggle against Florida State on Saturday.

Last year against Florida State, Miami jumped out to a 23-7 lead before being outscored 23-3 in the final two-and-a-half quarters, losing 30-26.

That would be the first of four straight losses, including the Independence Bowl to South Carolina, to end the 2014 season. Before playing FSU, Miami was 6-3 and in the running for the Coastal Division title.

Finishing. It's what Golden knows his team has to do in Week 6 and beyond:

What does finishing mean for Golden in 2015? A Coastal Division Championship? At least. An ACC Championship? Perhaps. Otherwise, it might be Golden who's finished, a win over Florida State be damned.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.