Willie Taggart gave his Florida State football team 24 hours to celebrate its decisive victory Saturday night against Syracuse.

But from the sounds of things, the Seminoles might not take him up on it.

As soon as they wrapped up their 35-17 victory against the Orange, several FSU players were already looking ahead to next Saturday's ultra-important home game against the Miami Hurricanes (3:30 p.m., ABC).

"Beat Miami -- that's how I feel," sophomore tailback Khalan Laborn said. "We're gonna beat 'em. ... This is gonna be a ball game, it ain't gonna be like last year. It's gonna be a different game."

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Florida State actually dominated last year's contest against the Hurricanes for most of three quarters before falling apart down the stretch. Costly second-half turnovers allowed the Hurricanes to rally from a 20-point deficit and score a 28-27 win.

"It's not on my mind," FSU junior safety Hamsah Nasirildeen said, when asked if the Seminoles are still upset about last year's loss to the 'Canes. "I'm just thinking about going in, watching this film, seeing what their guys do and coming up with a game plan to stop it."

Every game between Florida State and Miami is important, but this year's showdown is particularly crucial for both teams, who are fighting for bowl eligibility.

The Seminoles (4-4, 3-3 in the ACC) need at least two more wins to return to a bowl game after last season's postseason absence, and only one of those games will be a certain victory -- Nov. 16 against Alabama State.

FSU's two other games after the Miami tilt will come on the road -- at Boston College and at Florida.

The Seminoles have not played well on the road under Taggart. Including last week's loss to Wake Forest, they have dropped seven of eight games away from home during the last two seasons.