Last week may have been a slow week for the Florida teams, but this week will be one of the most eventful of the season.
1. Florida Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) (Last Week: 1)
Last Week: Bye week
Next opponent: at #7 Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) *Neutral site
Both the Gators and the Bulldogs will head up to Jacksonville this weekend. Both teams are coming off of a bye week and should be well rested and ready to play. There is obviously a lot on the line here as the loser will be essentially eliminated from playoff consideration. This game will also most likely decide the winner of the SEC East.
2. Central Florida Knights (7-0, 4-0 AAC) (Last Week: 2)
Last Week: at East Carolina Pirates (2-4) W 37-10
Next opponent: Bye week
UCF has now won, count it, 20 straight games dating back to last season. With that being said, UCF has still not beaten anyone this year. They did manage to take down ECU last weekend without their starting QB, which is always impressive. Although the score may not show it, UCF did not dominate this game. UCF was almost even with ECU in terms of time of possession, they ran 18 less plays, they had twice as many penalties for 60 more yards, and they had nearly 70 less yards of offense. Where UCF did dominate was in the running game, out-gaining ECU 316 yards to 90.
3. Miami Hurricanes (5-2, 2-1 ACC) (Last Week: 3)
Last week: Bye week
Next opponent: at Boston College Eagles (5-2)
This has been one of the most eventful bye weeks I can remember. On the recruiting trail, Miami got a 2019 commitment, lost two 2020 commits, and lost a recruiting battle to Alabama. Throw onto that N’Kosi Perry flashing 25 thousand dollars in cash on his snapchat. That’s a lot to deal with, especially when there are so many on the field problems that need addressing. Was Miami able to stay focused with all of these outside distractions? We will find out Friday.
4. South Florida Bulls (6-0, 3-0 AAC) (Last Week: 4)
Last week: vs Connecticut Huskies (1-6) W 38-30
Next opponent: at Houston Cougars (6-1)
Blake Barnett had himself a very up and down day. The Bulls QB threw for 265 yards and one touchdown while completing 20 of 28 passes, along with rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown. Barnett also caught a pass for a gain of 1 yard. However, he also threw two interceptions. USF had two different rushers go for over 100 yards in Jordan Cronkrite and Johnny Ford. Ford had 164 yards and three touchdowns on just 7 carries.
5. Florida State Seminoles (4-3, 2-3 ACC) (Last Week: 5)
Last Week: vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-4) W 38-17
Next Opponent: vs #2 Clemson Tigers (7-0)
FSU started off slow, but ended up playing their best game of the season. A huge reason for their success was Deondre Francois. Francois threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.5% of his passes. That was good enough for a QBR of 125.6. FSU is looking to carry this momentum into the hardest part of their schedule, starting this Saturday with Clemson.
6. Florida International Panthers (4-2, 2-0 CUSA) (Last Week: 6)
Last Week: vs Rice Owls (1-7) W 36-17
Next Opponent: at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-6)
FIU dominated this game in nearly every single statistic. The Golden Panthers won the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes, they had 7 more first downs, they had over 200 more yards of total offense, and they had 1.9 more yards per play. FIU has now won 3 straight games and Butch Davis has his guys playing pretty good football.
7. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-4, 1-2 CUSA) (Last Week: 7)
Last Week: vs Marshall Thundering Herd (4-2) – L 31-7
Next Opponent: vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-2)
FAU’s struggles continued against Marshall and Chris Robinson had his worst game of the year. Robinson threw for 223 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. The running game for FAU was not any better, as not a single rusher eclipsed the 50 yard mark. That Lane Kiffin hire may not have been the best decision for the Owls after all.
1. Florida Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) (Last Week: 1)
Last Week: Bye week
Next opponent: at #7 Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) *Neutral site
Both the Gators and the Bulldogs will head up to Jacksonville this weekend. Both teams are coming off of a bye week and should be well rested and ready to play. There is obviously a lot on the line here as the loser will be essentially eliminated from playoff consideration. This game will also most likely decide the winner of the SEC East.
2. Central Florida Knights (7-0, 4-0 AAC) (Last Week: 2)
Last Week: at East Carolina Pirates (2-4) W 37-10
Next opponent: Bye week
UCF has now won, count it, 20 straight games dating back to last season. With that being said, UCF has still not beaten anyone this year. They did manage to take down ECU last weekend without their starting QB, which is always impressive. Although the score may not show it, UCF did not dominate this game. UCF was almost even with ECU in terms of time of possession, they ran 18 less plays, they had twice as many penalties for 60 more yards, and they had nearly 70 less yards of offense. Where UCF did dominate was in the running game, out-gaining ECU 316 yards to 90.
3. Miami Hurricanes (5-2, 2-1 ACC) (Last Week: 3)
Last week: Bye week
Next opponent: at Boston College Eagles (5-2)
This has been one of the most eventful bye weeks I can remember. On the recruiting trail, Miami got a 2019 commitment, lost two 2020 commits, and lost a recruiting battle to Alabama. Throw onto that N’Kosi Perry flashing 25 thousand dollars in cash on his snapchat. That’s a lot to deal with, especially when there are so many on the field problems that need addressing. Was Miami able to stay focused with all of these outside distractions? We will find out Friday.
4. South Florida Bulls (6-0, 3-0 AAC) (Last Week: 4)
Last week: vs Connecticut Huskies (1-6) W 38-30
Next opponent: at Houston Cougars (6-1)
Blake Barnett had himself a very up and down day. The Bulls QB threw for 265 yards and one touchdown while completing 20 of 28 passes, along with rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown. Barnett also caught a pass for a gain of 1 yard. However, he also threw two interceptions. USF had two different rushers go for over 100 yards in Jordan Cronkrite and Johnny Ford. Ford had 164 yards and three touchdowns on just 7 carries.
5. Florida State Seminoles (4-3, 2-3 ACC) (Last Week: 5)
Last Week: vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-4) W 38-17
Next Opponent: vs #2 Clemson Tigers (7-0)
FSU started off slow, but ended up playing their best game of the season. A huge reason for their success was Deondre Francois. Francois threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.5% of his passes. That was good enough for a QBR of 125.6. FSU is looking to carry this momentum into the hardest part of their schedule, starting this Saturday with Clemson.
6. Florida International Panthers (4-2, 2-0 CUSA) (Last Week: 6)
Last Week: vs Rice Owls (1-7) W 36-17
Next Opponent: at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-6)
FIU dominated this game in nearly every single statistic. The Golden Panthers won the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes, they had 7 more first downs, they had over 200 more yards of total offense, and they had 1.9 more yards per play. FIU has now won 3 straight games and Butch Davis has his guys playing pretty good football.
7. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-4, 1-2 CUSA) (Last Week: 7)
Last Week: vs Marshall Thundering Herd (4-2) – L 31-7
Next Opponent: vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-2)
FAU’s struggles continued against Marshall and Chris Robinson had his worst game of the year. Robinson threw for 223 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. The running game for FAU was not any better, as not a single rusher eclipsed the 50 yard mark. That Lane Kiffin hire may not have been the best decision for the Owls after all.
