No. 12 Florida and No. 13 Florida State are accustomed to meeting with a whole lot on the line. And while neither team is nursing more than faint hopes of making the College Football Playoff in 2015, there's still plenty to play for when the two teams face off in Gainesville on Saturday.
How to watch Florida vs. Florida State on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
The Gators and Seminoles meet with plenty on the line.
Florida will play for its first SEC title in seven years next Saturday in Atlanta, and is currently in line to be the SEC’s representative in a New Year’s Six bowl. A loss to FSU would ruin those plans, and Jimbo Fisher’s bunch would love nothing more than to deliver it.
Florida State, on the other hand, has already been eliminated from ACC title contention by Clemson, and won’t be making a second straight Playoff appearance. But the Gators can get to 11 wins for the first time since 2012 by topping the ‘Noles, and would make Jim McElwain the first coach in Florida history to win 11 games in his first season as Florida’s head coach.
And with both teams perpetually wrestling for elite recruits in their talent-rich locales, a win provides bragging rights that go a long way in the Sunshine State.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: Florida, Florida State
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Florida opened as a three-point favorite, but injuries to key defensive players for the Gators have helped push the line to the Seminoles, who are now favored by 1.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Alligator Army (for Gators fans) and Tomahawk Nation (for Seminoles fans).
Three big things to know
1. Cookin'. Florida State sophomore Dalvin Cook has had one of the best individual seasons by any player in the county, and he leads all Power 5 players in yards per carry and has already set the Seminoles' single-season mark for rushing yards. He probably won't win the Heisman Trophy, both because of no-shows against Georgia Tech and Boston College and the cloud that has hung over FSU over the last two years, but Cook can make a great case against the Gators, who have the nation's No. 8 rush defense.
In 2014, Cook gashed a Florida team that finished No. 13 in rush defense for 144 yards. Oh, and he’s a former Florida commit who flipped to the Seminoles just before he enrolled in January 2014. It’s safe to say he’ll be a focal point of this game.
2. The struggle may be real. Of all the big-time rivalry games this Thanksgiving weekend, Florida-Florida State might have the greatest potential for a hideous rock fight. With Treon Harris being maddeningly inconsistent in relief of suspended starter Will Grier, the Gators have scored just 47 points in regulation over their last three games, needed a late field goal to beat Vanderbilt, and had to vanquish lowly Florida Atlantic in overtime.
But Florida State’s offense hasn’t traveled with the ‘Noles in 2015. FSU averages a very respectable 32.8 points per game, but that figure plummets to 16.8 points per game away from home. To their credit, that does reflect games at Boston College and Clemson, two of the nation’s top 12 scoring defenses ... but Florida’s is No. 3 nationally, better than both. Fans of both teams have been openly fearing a recurrence of the 2011 slugfest that FSU won 21-7 despite mustering fewer than 100 yards of total offense, and they may have a point.
3. FSU is hunting for history. The Florida-FSU rivalry is one of the younger ones with sustained national relevance, dating back only to 1958. But it’s still gone on long enough that it’s sort of strange that the Seminoles will be looking for their first three-game winning streak in Gainesville on Saturday. FSU previously won two straight in The Swamp in 1977 and 1979 and 1987 and 1989, with all four contests coming prior to Steve Spurrier bestowing that nickname on Florida’s home field. The Gators stopped both winning streaks at two, however, by holding the ‘Noles under 10 points in the potential third win.
See More:
