ChompTalk.com

There is a lot on the line this year as Florida and Florida State are set to meet on the football field Saturday night in Gainesville.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for most of the last decade as both programs have struggled to remain in the national spotlight due to struggles on the football field.

The Seminoles have been riding high in 2023 as the Mike Norvell-led resurgence has been sped up thanks in large part to an aggressive mindset in regards to the transfer portal. (The No. 66 strength of schedule probably helped, too).

Florida State enters the matchup looking to complete a perfect regular season, something that has never happened at Florida. Not only that, but the Seminoles are currently ranked No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Seminoles know that if they run the table (beating Florida and Louisville in the ACC title game), they are in as the No. 2 and 3 teams (Michigan, Ohio State) play in what amounts to an elimination game this weekend.

For the Gators, bowl eligibility is on the line. Florida opened the season 5-2 and seemed destined for a decent bowl game, however, the schedule got increasingly difficult and the team has failed to pick up a win since mid-October. While bowl eligibility doesn’t sound all too thrilling, the experience and repetitions that can be gained for a team that has seen 30+% of all snaps taken by freshmen, it could make a massive difference heading into the spring and into the future of the program.

Both teams, however, will be without their starting quarterback. FSU signal caller Jordan Travis suffered an injured lower leg in the first quarter of the Seminoles’ rout of Northern Alabama Saturday. He has announced via social media that his collegiate football career is over as a result. Florida’s Graham Mertz endured a fractured collarbone after colliding with multiple Missouri defenders on an important keeper late in the third quarter.

Florida State will likely start Tate Rodemaker, who completed 13-23 passes in relief of Travis on Saturday. In four years at Florida State, the Valdosta, GA native has completed 60% of his passes for 767 yards and seven touchdowns, though he has also thrown five interceptions in his 93 career attempts.

The Gators will start redshirt freshman Max Brown, who was part of the UF baseball program last spring. Brown is a dual-threat that put Florida in position against Missouri in a hostile environment with both his arm and legs. In limited duty, Brown has completed 10-12 passes for 106 yards.

Florida and Florida State will meet for the 67th time Saturday night in the Swamp. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 7:00 PM in front of a national audience on ESPN. The Gators are currently a 6.5 point favorite according to ESPN Bet.