The Florida Gators will host to in-state rivals Florida State in a matchup that has plenty of meaning. Florida comes into this game at 10-1 (7-1) and ranked 12th in the nation while Florida State comes in at 9-2 (6-2) and ranked 13th in the nation.
The Gators locked up the SEC East a couple of weeks ago but have not been playing all that great so this game has huge meaning for them and although Florida State will not play in the ACC Championship game they have an outside shot at the playoffs and a good chance at a New Year's six bowl game.
Florida's only loss this season came about a month ago to then sixth ranked LSU in Baton Rouge which didn't look all that bad until these past few weeks whent he Tigers have really fallen off. The Gators have won their past few games but they have struggled in doing so especially last week against Florida Atlantic as they won by just six and dropped four spots in the College Football Playoff Rankings because of it.
Quarterback Treon Harris has taken over for Will Grier since Grier was suspended for banned substances. Grier was playing very good football before the suspension and Harris has been OK as his fill in so far. The sophomore is completing just 54 percent of his passes while throwing for a little more than 1,200 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
While the quarterback change is a reason for the struggles on offense, the offensive line is likely the bigger culprit. The Gators offense ranks 100th in the nation in total offense and 80th in scoring offense. The biggest bright spot has been running back Kelvin Taylor who is nearing 900 yards on the season and has rushed for 13 touchdowns through the teams first 11 games.
Florida State, on the other hand, has lost two games this season including one to number one overall team Clemson and have no chance at a conference title but they are likely playing better of the two schools right now. The Seminoles made easy work of NC State and Chattanooga in the past two weeks and will look to end their regular season on a strong note against their rivals.
Junior Sean Maguire has taken over as the starting quarterback for Jimbo Fisher and has made the offense look much better. Everett Golson was the starter previously and although his numbers look fine the offense looked disjointed at times. Maguire is completing 65 percent of his passes and has thrown for eight touchdowns with only two interceptions so far this season.
While the quarterback position is a big topic of discussion for Florida State their offense starts with running back Dalvin Cook. Cook is one of the best players in the country and is having a terrific season as he has rushed for almost 1,500 yards on eight yards per carry and has added 16 rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.
Florida State has won the last two matchups between these schools and four of the past five. This year's version of this matchup has massive implications for both sides as Florida still has hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff while Florida State has a chance at a New Years six bowl so this should be a fun one.
The game kicks off at 7:30 Eastern time and to watch the live broadcast go here. For the Florida radio broadcast go here and for the Florida State radio broadcast go here.
