Staff picks for Florida-Miami (Fla.) season opener for college football
Call it Week 0. Call it an elongated opening weekend. Call it whatever you want.
The reality is college football returns Saturday with two games one week before its traditional opening on Labor Day weekend.
And unlike previous Week 0 matchups - see Rice-Stanford or Oregon State-Colorado State - there is one marquee showdown this year as No. 8 Florida renews its rivalry with Miami (Fla.) in Orlando.
The Hurricanes and Gators have only met six times since 1987 with two of those meetings coming in bowl games. But that doesn't mean emotions won't be high. An overwhelming majority of the players are from the state of Florida. There are bragging rights at stake, especially since the schools likely won't meet again until 2024.
The USA TODAY college sports staff predicts which team will emerge victorious.
Paul Myerberg
Miami brings a first-year head coach (Manny Diaz) and a redshirt freshman quarterback (Jarren Williams) into a matchup with a Florida team that might be slightly overvalued at No. 8 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll but still seems far more solidly built than the Hurricanes. That’s definitely true under center, where Feleipe Franks could end up as one of the breakout stars in the SEC. The key for Miami? The Hurricanes’ clearest road to success is to win the turnover battle, which might be difficult give Williams’ inexperience. Still, Diaz will have his defense ready for what Florida brings to the table. I pick the Gators to win but not run away with it. Florida 24, Miami 16
George Schroeder
Florida might not be ready yet to live up to a lofty No. 8 preseason ranking, but expectations for Year 2 under Dan Mullen are justifiably high – especially if Feleipe Franks can continue the improvement he showed in 2018. Manny Diaz’s choice of Jarren Williams at quarterback is as much or more about potential as present. Who knows what Williams can become, but starting off against the Gators is a significant challenge. Florida 31, Miami (Fla.) 14
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Tom Schad
I tend to give the more experienced team the benefit of the doubt in a "Week 0" game like this. The Hurricanes obviously have a dominant front seven, and several nice pieces on offense, but with a new offensive staff and a redshirt freshman (Jarren Williams) under center, there will inevitably be a few hiccups, too. Expect Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks to help the Gators capitalize on one or two of those miscues and hang on for the win. Florida 31, Miami (Fla.) 21
Erick Smith
First, it's great to see these schools face off, especially for those who follow the history of college football and know what the rivalry meant. Second, it's great that Week 0 has gotten a marquee matchup that fans can embrace. More of that, please. Now for the game. Florida finished strong last season as Feleipe Franks emerged as another Dan Mullen success story at quarterback. To prove their contenders in the SEC East, the Gators need to look impressive. It won't be easy as Miami is strong in its front seven and should be able to slow down Franks and the Florida offense in the early going. Whether the Hurricanes can keep it up for four quarters depends on if redshirt freshman quarterback Darren Williams can move the chains and put points on the board. Williams will get a rude awakening to college football against a talented SEC defense. He might make some plays, but not consistently enough to hold off the Gators, who will pull away late. Florida 27, Miami (Fla.) 12
Eddie Timanus
These Sunshine State foes don’t square off annually. When they do, for whatever reason, the Hurricanes seem to have had the Gators’ number (won seven of the last eight). That might again be the case – Miami has the defense in place, with Shaq Quarterman again as the centerpiece, to make it difficult for Florida to mount a steady ground attack. But while both teams enter with questions on offense, the Hurricanes have more of them. The Gators’ Feleipe Franks isn’t always the most accurate passer, but he usually keeps the ball out of harm’s way. In the end, he’ll do enough. Florida 23, Miami (Fla.) 10