Florida State has a three-decade long bowl streak on the line and Florida football would love nothing more than to end it on rivalry week.
After 36 straight years of going to a bowl game, the nation’s longest postseason participation streak is in danger of coming to an end this season for Florida State. The Seminoles have cratered in the first year under new head coach Willie Taggart, as they enter the annual season-ending battle against Florida with a 5-6 record. Only victory over the Gators will keep the streak going for a 37th season.
While Florida State’s defense has been decent this season, the issue that has plagued them has been one of generating offense. Deondre Francois led a comeback upset against Boston College last week, though, and the victory means he has the potential to help the Seminoles get to six wins at home against the rival Gators.
Florida, up to No. 11 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, still has a legitimate shot at a New Year’s Six invitation if they manage to best the Seminoles. Like Florida State, the Gators are also in their first season under a new head coach. But Dan Mullen, unlike Taggart, has found instant success in Gainesville.
The smart money is on Florida pushing their way into the top 10 of the next Top 25 from the selection committee ahead of championship weekend, but rivalry games frequently fail to go as planned. Could the Seminoles upset Florida’s dreams of a major bowl appearance this postseason and book their own ticket to a bowl game in 2018? Here’s how you can watch the Saturday battle between Florida and Florida State:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 24
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Venue: Doak Campbell Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Florida State has seen Francois put up decent passing numbers this season, but the running game has struggled mightily. To get momentum against the Gators, Taggart’s squad needs Cam Akers to break through and have a big game out of the backfield. After posting his first 100-yard game of the season against Boston College, Akers will need to have an even bigger day to keep the Seminoles in the running for an upset at home.
On their visit to Tallahassee, Florida needs to make sure that they bottle up the Seminoles in the red zone. The Gators have allowed teams to score on just under 90 percent of their trips inside the Florida 20, and they are lucky to be playing a rival that has struggled in the red zone this year. Cutting back on the penalties is also going to be a boon for the effort on the road.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Florida -5.5
Over/Under: 52
Prediction
All things must come to an end sooner or later, and on Saturday the Seminoles are going to see the nation’s longest active bowl streak come to an end against the Gators. The home crowd will get false hope when the Seminoles score first, but the visitors will pull away before halftime and keep Florida State off the scoreboard again until the fourth quarter once it is already out of reach.
Final Score: Florida 34, Florida State 20