Fun Fact Friday: FSU Has Been Better on Road Than at Home vs. Coastal Division

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Come late next month, Florida State will begin its 28th season as a member of the ACC. It will also be FSU’s 15th season in the conference’s Atlantic division.

Divisions came into place in 2005 when the ACC added Boston College to give the conference 12 schools. The ACC added Miami and Virginia Tech the year prior to bring the total to 11.

From 2005 to 2012, FSU played three regular season games a year against teams in the ACC Coastal — the conference’s other division. Since 2014 when Louisville replaced Maryland and both Syracuse and Pittsburgh joined the ACC, the Seminoles have played two teams from the Coastal each season. When it comes to Coastal opponents, FSU plays Miami every season.

Since the ACC went to divisions in 2005, the Seminoles surprisingly have been better against the Coastal division on the road as opposed to Doak Campbell Stadium. Against Coastal foes during the regular season, FSU is 14-5 away from Tallahassee and just 9-8 at home.

Against Miami, FSU is 10-4 since 2005, but three of those losses came in Tallahassee. Last season’s 28-27 victory for Miami in South Florida marked FSU’s first road loss to a Coastal opponent since falling to Georgia Tech 22-16 on a blocked field goal return for touchdown as time expired in 2015.

From 2009 to 2014, the Seminoles didn’t lose a single road game to a Coastal foe. Other road losses to Coastal teams consist of a 26-21 loss to Virginia in 2005, a 40-21 loss at Virginia Tech in 2007 and a heartbreaking 31-28 loss to Georgia Tech in 2008 in which fullback Marcus Sims fumbled near the goal line as FSU was driving for the winning touchdown.

At home, FSU has lost its last three against Coastal opponents. The Seminoles were defeated by Virginia Tech in last season’s opener, 24-3. Prior to that, FSU fell to Miami 24-20 in 2017 and to North Carolina, 37-35, on a 54-yard field goal by Nick Weiler as time expired in 2016.

North Carolina also defeated the Seminoles in Tallahassee in 2010 by an identical 37-35 score as FSU kicker Dustin Hopkins missed the winning field goal as time expired. The other two home losses to Miami took place in 2007 and 2009. Aside from the three losses to the Hurricanes and two to the Tar Heels, FSU fell to Georgia Tech at home in a 49-44 shootout in 2009 and 14-13 to Virginia in 2011 — also on a Hopkins missed field goal as time expired.

Four of FSU’s nine Coastal division wins at home have come against Miami since 2005. The Seminoles also have two wins over Virginia, two over Duke and one against Virginia Tech. On the road since 2005, FSU has six wins over Miami, four over Duke and one each over North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Pittsburgh.

Since the ACC went to divisions, Georgia Tech is the lone Coastal division team that FSU has not defeated during the regular season. The Seminoles did beat the Yellow Jackets in both the 2012 and 2014 ACC Championship games. The only teams from the Coastal that have not defeated FSU are Duke and Pittsburgh.

This coming season, FSU will get Miami at home. The Seminoles will travel to Charlottesville to face Virginia in the ACC opener on Sept. 14. That is the place where the Cavaliers handed Florida State its first ACC loss as a member of the conference in 1995 and its first loss after the conference went to divisions in 2005.