FSU football: Mario Cristobal respectfully talks FSU to avoid bulletin board material

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal spoke with the media on Monday as they start preparations for their Super Bowl against FSU on Saturday.

The game will not have the same luster among the media since FSU has fallen off the face of the earth at 1-6, and Miami is 7-0. FSU fans expect a beatdown, and the oddsmakers have Miami as a massive betting favorite at -21 points.

However, Miami has lost three consecutive games against FSU, and Mike Norvell beat Mario Cristobal in his first two attempts to break the winning streak. I'm sure Mario Cristobal is confident going into the game and expects to win, but as a former player, he understands that crazy things happen in rivalry games.

He was complimentary of FSU, especially their defense, despite their 1-6 record.

"Well, I think everything. I mean, obviously I study the defensive side first. What you see is just a really talented team. They're about as talented in most of the key positions in the front seven as you'll see, and the secondary is big, long, they're fast. They play man coverage as good as anyone that we've seen. They mix it up pretty well as well. They got a wide variety of pressure and stunt packages that go with it. And then I think their offensive line, I know they might have had a guy hurt or two, but they're another group that's really big. A highly recruited class that is really strong and powerful, and has had some really, really strong moments. And again, all I see is I see a really good football team and looking forward to a great game."

He's right. FSU is a talented team and was No. 10 nationally in the preseason for a reason. It's not like he can't turn on the tape and see that FSU has guys running wide-open, but their receivers haven't been able to catch a cold between transition seasons. However, all it takes is a couple of guys to make some plays to gain some confidence in a game. If they did that and avoided turnovers, who knows.

The FSU defense has kept them in games all year and has been much better than Miami's defense in conference play. Mario Cristobal was smart to avoid making any crazy statements because of FSU's 1-6 record. I'm not a big soft factor guy, but rivalry games are different and a coach giving the opposing team anything to put on the bulletin board to rally around wouldn't be smart.