Florida (The State of) Football

UCF KNIGHTS 2023 Record: 6-7 2024 FPI Projection: 7-5 2024 Over/Under Total: 7.5 BIGGEST GAME: Colorado (September 28) Yeah, you better expect Deion Sanders' return to the state of Florida is going to get a lot of attention. UCF should be 3-0 going into the game. Colorado's schedule is a little more tricky, but 4-0 is a possibility. If that happens, you might as well shut the area down for four hours on the final Saturday of September. Wherever Deion goes is going to draw attention, but Shedeur Sanders is a top quarterback prospect and Travis Hunter is going to be an early Heisman candidate. The environment for this game is going to be exciting and it's a great chance for UCF to make noise on the national stage.  TRAP GAME: at Iowa State (October 19) The Big XII schedule wore down UCF in their first year of the conference because they just struggled to stay healthy on the lines week after week. The Cyclones catch UCF after games against Florida and Colorado, so I wonde...

MIAMI HURRICANES 2023 Record: 7-6 2024 FPI Projection: 8-4 2024 Over/Under Total: 9 BIGGEST GAME: Florida State (October 26) The Seminoles have taken three straight in the series and that includes a 45-3 beatdown at Hard Rock Stadium in 2022 that could've been much worse. Miami is a much different team now and showed some of that real fight in last year's game when the Hurricanes fell short 27-20 in Tallahassee with Emory Williams playing quarterback. Three years into Mario Cristobal's tenure and he thinks he has the roster to make some noise in the ACC and even nationally. Well in order for that noise to be taken serious the Hurricanes will have to beat the Seminoles on the final Saturday of October. TRAP GAME: Virginia Tech (September 27) Many of the things being said about Miami in the third year of the Cristobal level are being said (albeit a little quieter) about Brent Pry in his third year at Virginia Tech. The Hokies closed strong last season, going 5-2 down the ...

FLORIDA GATORS 2023 Record: 5-7 2024 FPI Projection: 6-6 2024 Over/Under Total: 4.5 ( Eds Note: Win total is 4.5?!?! Yikes ) BIGGEST GAME: Miami (August 31) In a season where the Gators have next to no margin of error, they have to come out of the gate ready to play against a team with a lot of experience and size and expectations. The good news is the game is at home, it's going to be a hot, steamy mid-afternoon game with a crowd that will be rabid and fighting heat exhaustion all at once. Miami provides a heck of a challenge for a team that honestly could've used a much easier opening week to make sure the new parts all work together. There's a lot to unpack with this game. Are the Hurricanes as good as we think they are? Can D.J. Lagway give the Gators some real hope in his first game? Does the losing coach of this game survive the season? Like I said there's a lot to unpack.  TRAP GAME: at Mississippi State (September 21) If Florida is going to get to a bowl ga...

This was a little more challenging than last year and it's still challenging enough to the point of where I'm not ready to release the Group of 5 Team. That will probably happen in a couple of days.  It's a 46-player team with 23 players on each side of the ball. I made a few adjustments from last year, adding a hybrid posiiton on offense and a return specialist. The defense stayed the same for the most part. Let me know what you think? Top 25 team? Top 10 team? Playoff team? Hmmm playoff team sounds weird, but it's here now.  OFFENSE Quarterbacks (2): Carson Beck, Jr., Georgia (Mandarin);  Rocco Becht, R-So., Iowa State (Steinbrenner) Running Backs (2): Jaylan Knighton, Sr., SMU (Deerfield Beach); C.J. Donaldson, Jr., West Virginia (Gulliver Prep) Wiide Receivers (5): Jayden Higgins, Sr., Iowa State (Westminster Christian);  Xzavier Henderson, Sr., Cincinnati (Christopher Columbus); Jimmy Horn, Sr., Colorado (Sanford Seminole); Pat Bryant, Sr., Illinois (Atlantic...

Here's a list of the players drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft that grew their craft under the lights of Florida High School football. Thanks to Charles Fishbein of Elite Scouting Services for compiling this: ***** First Round 8th – QB Michael Penix, Falcons (Tampa Bay Tech) 17th -- EDGE Dallas Turner, Vikings (Saint Thomas Aquinas) 22nd --CB Quinyon Mitchell, Eagles) (Williston) 24th -- CB Terrion Arnold, Lions (John Paul II Catholic) Second  Round 36th -- DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Commanders, (Clearwater Central Catholic) 64th -- CB Renardo Green, 49ers (Wekiva) Third Round 94th -- DE Jalyx Hunt, Eagles (University) 99th -- S Kamren Kitchens, Rams (Miami Northwestern)  Fourth Round 109th -- DT Brandon Dorlus, Falcons (Deerfield Beach) 116th -- DT Jordan Jefferson,Jaguars (Navarre) 118th -- LB Tyrice Knight, Seahawks (Lake Gibson) 130th -- CB T.J. Tampa, Ravens (Lakewood) Fifth Round 146th -- CB Jarvis Brownlee, Titans (Carol City) 151st -- S Jaylon Carlies, Colts (West Orange) 168th -...

Florida State Seminoles 2022 Record: 10-3 2023 FPI Projection: 8-4 2023 Over/Under Total: 10 BIGGEST GAME: at Clemson (September 23) No question about this one. Yeah yeah LSU...sure, but the Seminoles could lose to LSU and still win the ACC, win the ACC Championship game and make the playoff. So, Clemson is the only answer here. I have been of the feeling that FSU should have beaten Clemson last season. That was a very beatable Clemson team, but the Seminoles had a terrible 10-minute stretch between the end of the first half and the early part of the second half that turned a close game into a 34-14 contest. Clemson has made coaching changes that I think will turn out to be for the better. So it's going to be a tall order for FSU to win in the other Death Valley, because Clemson going to see them coming.   TRAP GAME: at Pitt (November 4) Novemeber road game in a cold environment against a team that is going to run the ball well and have excellent players on defensive, esp...

Florida Atlantic Owls 2022 Record: 5-7 2023 FPI Projection: 6-6 2023 Over/Under Total: 7.5 BIGGEST GAME: UT-San Antonio (October 21) Even though the FPI and the Over/Under aren't aligned, there is a general feeling that FAU can compete to be the second-best team in the American this year behind -- UTSA. The Roadrunners are in their first year of the American as well, but they come in with a big reputation having won 30 games over the past three seasons. It would be ironic that two first-year AAC programs would play in the biggest game in the conference, but it's very possible. I'll just say either UTSA or FAU will win the American this year.  TRAP GAME: at UAB (November 4) FAU has a crazy stretch of games from the middle of September through Octonber with a couple of Power 5 road games, a big in-state matchup with a potentially revived USF program and a hidden-gem type of showdown with UTSA. That leaves UAB kind of sitting there after FAU has went through several weeks...