Florida football is hitting its stride at the end of the season with a chance to pick up another statement win when it closes the regular season Saturday night at rival Florida State.
The Florida Gators (6-5, 4-4 SEC) have posted back-to-back wins over ranked teams for the first time since 2018 and are looking to snap a two-game losing streak against their in-state rivals. Overall, Florida leads the series against Florida State 37-28, with two ties.
Florida football coach Billy Napier, who is 17-19 in three seasons at UF, is seeking his first win against FSU.
Florida State (2-9, 1-7 ACC) has struggled in its fifth season under head coach Mike Norvell, who is 2-2 against the Gators. The strength of FSU’s team is its pass defense, which ranks fourth in the ACC in yards allowed (207.5 ypg).
“They’re always very sticky in coverage,” Napier said. “Just by conceptually, the format of their defense, they are in good coverage position. They play with leverage. Oftentimes they are a gap short in the run game and they’re doubling a lot of your skill guys. So, I think they do a really nice job.”
Napier has helped UF rebound from a 1-2 start, leading UF to bowl eligibility for the second time in his three seasons as coach.
“We have to continue to fix the things that are wrong and encourage the things that are being done the right way,” Napier said. “And we have to be very consistent and fair. And I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to kind of stabilize a little bit is we’ve never wavered.”
TV Channel: ESPN2
Livestream: FUBO (free trial), ESPN Plus (subscriber only)
Florida football vs Florida State will broadcast nationally on ESPN2 in Week 14 of the 2024 college football season. Jay Alter and Rocky Boiman will call the game from the booth at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Doak Campbell Stadium at Bobby Bowden Field with Ashley Stroehlein as the sideline reporter. Streaming options for the game include ESPN Plus and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
The Florida football vs. Florida State game will kick off at 7 p.m. from Doak Campbell Stadium at Bobby Bowden Field (cap. 79,560) in Tallahassee, Florida.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Nov. 29
Betting line: Florida -16.5
O/U: 45.5 points
Florida 38, Florida State 14: Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway will improve to 5-1 as a starter as Florida will control time of position and run all over a weary FSU defense. Defensively, Florida will continue to play at a high level and hold an opponent under 17 points for the third straight game.
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