Florida (The State of) Football

MIAMI HURRICANES 2024 Record: 10-3 2024 Postseason: L 42-41 to Iowa State in Pop Tarts Bowl 2025 FPI Projection: 10-3 2025 Over/Under: 9.5 Aug. 31. Notre Dame (W) Sep. 6.   BC-U  (W) Sep. 13. South Florida (W) Sep. 20  Florida (W) Oct. 4.    at FSU (W) Oct. 17.  Louisville (L) Oct. 25   Stanford (W) Nov. 1.   at SMU (L) Nov. 8.   Syracuse (W) Nov 15.  N.C. State (W) Nov. 22. at Virginia Tech  (W) Nov. 29. at Pittsburgh (W) Biggest Game -- Florida: This is a tough one, but the Gators would be massive if the Hurricanes lost their opening to Notre Dame and just as a big if they win the opening because it would complete a 4-0 non-conference that featured two P4 (ranked?) opponents. Trap Game -- at FSU: I think the Hurricanes are going to be at least six-point favorites, and maybe high as 10. But it's the first road game of the season...first conference game...against a bitter rival that might be a wounded dog. M...

By this point most of you know the rules, but things changed a little bit. Instead of putting out a team of 46 (23 on each side of the ball), we've just got 24 players -- 12 on offense and 12 on defense.  The Group of Five All-Florida HS Team MIGHT be here in a few days. There's a damn good chance I'll be adding FCS players to it because many of the good G5 kids last season have transferred into the power four.  Anyway, the offense is 11 personnel with an extra RB and the defene is a 4-2-5 with a extra linebacker. Basically sticking to my formations over the past couple years.  OFFENSE Quarterback : Rocco Becht, R-Jr., 6-1, 210, Iowa State (Wiregrass Ranch); 3,606 yards, 26 TD, 9 INT, 8 Rush TDs Running Back : Isaac Brown, So., 5-9, 190, Louisville (Homestead); 165 carries, 1,173 yards, 11 TDs; 152 receiving yards. Running Back : Desmond Reid, Sr., 5-8, 175, Pitt (Miramar); 183 carries, 962 yards, 5 rush TDs; 52 catches, 579 yards, 4 TDs; punt return TD and fifth in AP-...

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL GOLDEN PANTHERS 2023 Record: 4-8 2024 FPI Projection: 4-8 2024 Over/Under: 4.5 BIGGEST GAME: at Florida Atlantic (September 14) The Shula Bowl returns after a year off and it's always the biggest game on FIU's schedule. The overall results of the series haven't been pretty. FAU has a 16-4 lead overall and a six-game win streak. The average score over those six games? 48-15! The Golden Panthers will be decisive underdogs when the teams meet in a couple of weeks, but they need to keep it somewhat competitive. TRAP GAME: vs. Sam Houston (October 22) FIU was able to jump on Sam Houston in the Bearkats first season in FBS. In fact, the 33-27 victory was the Golden Panthers' only win in their final eight games. Now Sam Houston knows what to expect and the former FCS standout program might be pretty good in their second FBS season. FIU has some very winnable games at home that could put them in position for a bowl. This is a game they need to win. POT...

FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS 2023 Record: 4-8 2024 FPI Projection: 7-5 2024 Over/Under: 6.5 BIGGEST GAME: at UTSA (October 19) If Florida Atlantic is having a solid season like I expect, the Owls should be about 5-1 going into this game. UTSA feels like the team to beat in the American this year with a bunch of returning starters. The Roadrunners also don't lose at home, where they are like 23-4 under coach Jeff Traylor. But I like FAU having a puncher's chance in this game. The offensive line should be gelled and the defensive line, the expected strength of the team, should be firing on all cylinders. A win here puts FAU in position to really make noise in the conference TRAP GAME: vs. Army (September 7) The good news for FAU is that this game is early in the season. The bad news is a week after playing a large Big Ten team (Michigan State) you have to get ready for the triple option. Army is always a difficult draw for teams that rely on speed like FAU because they force you to ...

SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS 2023 Record: 7-6 2024 FPI Projection: 7-6 2024 Over/Under Total: 7 BIGGEST GAME: at Florida Atlantic (November 1) This was a tough one because USF fans will swear up and down it's not a big game and they don't consider FAU rivals...and on the latter point they are probably correct. But perception is everything and USF is in a position to move forward and become a more appealing option for the next expansion. That means they can't have a repeat of the 56-14 loss to FAU. It's hard to sell the Bulls as a program deserving of P4 expansion opportunities if they are taking 40-point whippings from the Owls.  TRAP GAME: at Southern Miss (September 14) As long as the Bulls are fairly healthy coming out of the Alabama game and not looking too far ahead to the Miami game, they should be able to handle the Golden Eagles with relative ease. But given where the game sits on the calendar and the potential of a beaten up team after playing Alabama, this could be ...

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES 2023 Record: 13-1 2024 FPI Projection: 9-4 2024 Over/Under Total: 9.5 BIGGEST GAME: Clemson (October 5) This was a close one between Miami and Clemson, but at the end of the day there's a still a good chance that whoever wins between Miami and FSU will have to go through Clemson again, so let's see if FSU's 31-24 overtime win over the Tigers was a one-year thing or the start of a back-and-forth rivalry. It was a gutsy win by FSU, who needed a defensive touchdown and a last-second missed FG from Clemson to get to the final score. I thought it was a good win because Clemson saw FSU coming, had a great gameplan and still came up short. Now FSU knows it can beat Clemson and will want to do it again in front of the home crowd.  TRAP GAME: at SMU (September 28) SMU is a first-year ACC program and while I think the Mustangs have a very good chance to be a top five team in the conference this year, they will also deal with some growing pains later in the s...