There are subplots on subplots on top of more subplots whenever No. 2 Florida State and No. 8 Miami meet.

Will Butch Davis, who has won nearly 70 percent of his games at Miami, find a way to finally beat FSU after losing five straight? Will Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke's ankle be strong enough for him to play? What effect will all that rain in South Florida earlier this week have on the playing surface?

And, of course, the final hours leading up to the matchup of two of the nation's eight best teams will feature more back-and-forth dialogue than a Woody Allen script.

However, all that is nothing compared to the beauty of this matchup: Florida State's receivers against the Miami secondary.

Florida State leads the nation in passing offense, with 350.8 yards per game, while Miami leads the nation in interceptions with 10. The question is: Can Miami's last line of defense slow down FSU's fantastic four of Snoop Minnis, Anquan Boldin, Atrews Bell and Robert Morgan, each of whom average at least 15 yards per catch?

	Leonard Myers (22) is part of a swarming Miami secondary.

If anyone is up to the challenge, it should be Miami's secondary. Once considered a weakness, the starting foursome is now considered one of the nation's best units. Senior Leonard Myers and junior Mike Rumph are excellent cover corners. The duo, along with playmaking safeties Edward Reed and Al Blades, has grown into a synchronized unit over the past 15-18 games -- during which time they have faced some of the nation's top quarterbacks: Weinke, Virginia Tech's Michael Vick, Washington's Marques Tuiasosopo and Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton.

This week, they'll get another crack at Weinke, who is 26-1 as a college starter and figures to be under center despite an ankle sprain suffered against Maryland. "I know that Chris Weinke can handle pain. Chris Weinke can handle discomfort," said Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. "If Chris says he can play and his foot can handle it, he will play."

West Virginia coach Don Nehlen thinks that Miami's secondary, which held West Virginia's dangerous receiving duo of Khori Ivy and Antonio Brown to just four catches for 33 yards a couple weeks back, is gifted enough to win the "Old Man Weinke" challenge.

"Miami's secondary is really good," Nehlen said. "Al Blades hits like a linebacker from his safety spot and the other three starters can run like deer. I'm sure that we weren't able to test them like Florida State's receivers are capable of testing them, but all four of Miami's starting defensive backs are really, really good football players."

It wasn't always that way. "Like all units that rely a lot on synchronization, it has taken some time for these guys to really jell as a unit," Davis said. "Leonard Myers, Al Blades and Mike Rumph were probably put out there before they were really ready back in 1997. They got baptism under fire. They were playing ahead of schedule and weren't given the usual amount of seasoning."

Early on, it showed as these guys took their lumps. In 1998, Miami was 85th nationally in pass-efficiency defense and gave up a school-record 2,622 yards and 20 TD passes. Last season, the light went on and the Canes were 11th in the nation in pass-efficiency defense as Blades, Reed and Rumph all earned All-Big East honors of some sort. Thus far this season, they've been even better.

"Now we're seeing the dividends of having guys who have played 15-18 games together," Davis said. They're good tacklers, they have speed, they don't get mismatched. And now they've played together so long that they know where everyone is going to be. They can communicate with a glance or a simple nod. That takes awhile to happen."

This talented, experienced group of players would like nothing better than to beat Florida State, a program they're all intimately familiar with. Three of the four secondary starters -- Blades (the younger brother of former Hurricane stars Bennie and Brian), Rumph and Myers -- had Florida State on their final list of four or five schools coming out of high school.

And some of the FSU receivers and Miami defensive backs have known one another for years, adding even more spice to the rivalry. For instance, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Rumph, who has 16 tackles and six pass deflections this season, will get re-acquainted this weekend with Florida State's 6-2, 205-pound Boldin. The two faced off in high school when Rumph played for Atlantic High in Delray Beach, Fla., and Boldin for Pahokee (Fla.) High.

"He destroyed our team (in high school)," Rumph said. "He's one of the best athletes I went up against in high school."

Davis, Rumph's current coach, hopes that he does a much better job of controlling Boldin and friends this time around.

"I don't think you're going to rattle a guy like Chris Weinke. He's experienced, he's fundamentally sound and he doesn't make a lot of mistakes," Davis said. "They have talented skill people, too. So, they'll put pressure on our secondary, but I think our guys are ready for that test."

Bill Doherty covers Big East football for ESPN.com.