Florida State Beats Miami: Are They in the Class of Florida?

The Florida State Seminoles manhandled the Miami Hurricanes last night, winning 45-17 in a game that was never in doubt.

Led by 298 yards rushing, the Seminoles were clearly the better team and showed that they should be considered among the favorites in the ACC.

Florida, on the other hand, lost to the struggling (yet still undefeated) LSU Tigers, their second-straight loss after being dismantled by Alabama.

The Gators have been the class of the state of Florida for much of the recent past, but things are certainly changing.

Here are five reasons why the Seminoles are the best team in Florida this year...

They’ve Been Dominant in Wins

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 02: Quarterback John Brantley #12 of the Florida Gators is attended to by trainers against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Florida may have owned some fairly lopsided scores in its first four wins, but they didn’t look dominant at all.

The Gators couldn’t assert themselves in any of their wins, and it shouldn’t have surprised anyone when they were manhandled by Alabama and lost to LSU and their anemic offense.

The Seminoles, on the other hand, have outscored their opponents by 156 points in their five wins and have looked the part in those games, too.

Other than the lapse of letting Landry Jones go berserk on their normally stout defense (18th in scoring defense in the nation), Florida State has looked the part of a top team, taking out weaker teams decisively.

They Have a Bona Fide NFL QB

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MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 9: Christian Ponder #7 of the Florida State Seminoles runs out of the pocket to pass the ball against the Miami Hurricanes on October 9, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

John Brantley, despite all of the hype, has not looked the part of a Florida quarterback in replacing the vaunted Tim Tebow.

Brantley has thrown four interceptions as opposed to just one touchdown in his last three games, and simply hasn’t proven that he is a good college quarterback.

On the other hand, Ponder’s three years of starting experience has showed, as he’s thrown over 1000 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He hasn’t stepped up and become the Heisman contender that many thought he’d be, but he’s been more than good enough to couple with the Seminoles’ explosive running game and stifling defense to form a very good team.

Don’t be surprised when he gets his name called in the early-middle rounds of next year’s draft.

They Are the Best Team in Their Conference

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MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 9: Jermaine Thomas #38 of the Florida State Seminoles breaks the tackle of Ray-Ray Armstrong #26 of the Miami Hurricanes to score a touchdown in the second quarter on October 9, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe

The ACC is much weaker than the SEC without question.

But after beating Miami, the Seminoles can definitely be considered the favorites to win the weakened conference, especially with North Carolina’s struggles, and the surprising vulnerability shown by Georgia Tech and Virginia tech.

Compare that to the Gators, who are all but out of the conference race already, and you’d have to say that the Seminoles will be much more relevant this year.

They Have a Chance To Compete for the National Championship

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: The BCS National Championship trophy which was won by the Alabama Crimson Tide after winning the Citi BCS National Championship game over the Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010 in Pasadena, California. The Crim

Again, the ACC is much-maligned this year and very well should be.

But if there aren’t two teams from the SEC, Big 10, or Big 12 who are undefeated, a one-loss Seminole team could certainly be in the national championship discussion.

They probably wouldn’t leapfrog any team with a similar record in either of those conferences, especially after their Oklahoma loss, but if the other conferences have two-loss teams, then they’d have an excellent chance.

It isn’t likely because of their weak conference, but their chances are realistic—something that the Gators can’t say for a change.

They’re Going To Beat the Gators

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GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators puts his hand on his head during the game against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Gree

Florida visits Florida state for both teams’ final regular season contests, and it’s looking more and more likely that the Seminoles will get their first win in this heated rivalry since 2003.

The Gators haven’t proven that they can move the ball effectively without Tim Tebow, and they’re going to have a lot of trouble putting up points against the solid Seminole defense.

The Seminoles two-headed rushing attack of Chris Thompson (averaging nine yards per carry) and Jermaine Thomas will be a handful for the struggling Gators.  Couple that with more solid play by Ponder, and this Florida team—who gave up 33 points to the feeble LSU Tiger offense—and it seems like this one could be a rout.

Florida continues to gather great recruits, so this rivalry will remain close for quite a while, but Florida State under Jimbo Fisher is really closing the gap.

And this year, with a first-year starter at quarterback and in rebuilding mode, the Gators are simply worse than the Seminoles for the first time in a long time.

Matt Rudnitsky is a student at the University of Michigan and a writing intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mattrud