Florida State @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 24, 2018 ) Florida 41, Florida State 14

Rivalry Week is set to kick off in the Sunshine State and there's certainly no love lost between bitter rivals Florida State and Florida. Both schools had an extra week off to prepare for Saturday night's rumble in The Swamp and the eighth-ranked Gators will look to put an end to their four-game home skid against the Seminoles and earn state bragging rights for the first time since 2008 after opening the season with a victory over Miami.

“It’s tough," said Gators head coach Dan Mullen, whose team's only losses this season came against top 10 foes LSU and Georgia. "Florida State had a really good program. During those 11, 12 years they were competing for national championships and playing at a really high level, so it doesn’t surprise me that we haven’t beat them in such a long time. Hopefully this team can go out there Saturday and change that.” Florida is on the upswing under Mullen and the team began to turn the tide in this rivalry last season, halting a five-game skid with a dominant 41-14 triumph, but the Seminoles have thoroughly thumped the Gators in Gainesville since their last loss there in 2009, outscoring them 123-38 in four contests. The timing seems right for the Gators to reverse that trend but the Seminoles, after a rollercoaster season, come in with a renewed energy and confidence after winning two in a row to lock up bowl eligibility under interim head coach Odell Haggins. "Kids know what’s at stake," said Haggins, who is 17-14-1 (.547) against the Gators as a player and coach in Tallahassee. "I always say this. It’s a one-game series. Throw out the record book and just get ready to play ball because both teams are going to come to play."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: Florida -18

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (6-5): The coaching staff will have a decision to make at quarterback as both redshirt sophomore James Blackman (1,945 yards, 16 TDs, 7 TDs) and fifth-year senior Alex Hornibrook (986 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTS) are expected to be healthy after the bye, but Haggins was noncommittal during the week, saying "we’re going to find out who’s playing the best in practice. That’s who is going to play." Either way, the return of running back Cam Akers (1,042 yards, 13 TDs), who sat out the team's 49-12 victory over Alabama State last time out, will give the offense a huge boost and a big-time threat for the Gators to worry about along with receiver Tamorrion Terry, who is averaging an ACC-high 20.3 yards per catch. Defensively, the Seminoles will need to apply pressure up front as the Gators have struggled to protect quarterback Kyle Trask, but Florida State only managed two sacks against overmatched Alabama State.

ABOUT FLORIDA (9-2): Trask has been solid in his first season as the starter, throwing for 2,293 yards and 21 touchdowns with just six interceptions, but he has shown a penchant for making mistakes when under pressure, losing the ball three times on sacks in a win against Auburn. Led by Trask, the aerial attack ranks 19th in the nation in yardage (292.3 per game), a huge leap from last season when the Gators ranked 83rd in passing, but the ground game is only averaging 115.6 yards per game. Florida is tied for second in the country with 15 interceptions, with three games in which the Gators picked off three passes (against Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Florida leads this series 35-26-2, but the Gators haven’t beaten Florida State in consecutive seasons since a six-game winning streak from 2004-09.

2. Florida is one of two FBS teams (Oregon) to hold five opponents without a touchdown this season.

3. The Seminoles are 30-for-34 in the red zone this season, scoring 25 touchdowns and five field goals.

PREDICTION: Florida 34, Florida State 26