Syracuse @ Miami (FL) preview

If Miami (Fla.) had any thoughts of looking past Syracuse, those surely disappeared last weekend. The seventh-ranked Hurricanes hope to avoid the upset at the hands of the visiting Orange when the ACC foes square off Saturday.

Syracuse defeated No. 2 Clemson, the defending national champion, in its last outing behind three touchdown passes from Eric Dungey. "There's two ways to handle it," coach Dino Babers said earlier this week. "You can bring them and say, 'Forget about that. Now we need to move on to the next game.' But in my heart, I just feel this is too big. You've got to let this wave ride out. I was born in Hawaii. You've got to ride this wave." Babers now hopes his team can re-focus in time to face the undefeated Hurricanes, who escaped last week's date with Georgia Tech with a 25-24 triumph. "Just another day in paradise," Miami coach Mark Richt quipped after his team outscored Georgia Tech 9-0 in the fourth. "That's how we roll."

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Miami -16.5

ABOUT SYRACUSE (4-3, 2-1 ACC): The Orange are aiming to knock off consecutive top 10 opponents for the first time in school history behind Dungey, who ranks fifth in the nation in completions per game (26.9), and Steve Ishmael, who leads the nation in receptions (62). Ishmael has scored a touchdown in four straight games, although he is averaging 5.7 catches over the last three outings after averaging 11.3 catches in the first four contests. Dungey leads the team in rushing (386 yards) and has eight of the team's 11 scores on the ground.

ABOUT MIAMI (5-0, 3-0): The Hurricanes have won 10 games in a row dating back to last season, although last week's win was a mini-miracle. Darrell Langham caught a fourth-down pass on a lucky bounce to keep the game alive before Michael Badgley kicked the decisive field goal with four seconds left. Travis Horner ran for a career-high 170 yards on 20 attempts and scored two touchdowns - one on the ground and one through the air.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Syracuse, in the last four games, has scored 26, 25, 27 and 27 points, respectively.

2. The Hurricanes have won five straight meetings with the Orange, all of which took place between 1999-2003.

3. Only South Florida (11) has a longer active winning streak than Miami.

PREDICTION: Miami 33, Syracuse 23