NCAAF Game Preview - Florida State at Florida
Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:30 PM EST

TxAM
7
LSU
50
F
OSU
56
Mich
27
F
Clem
38
SCar
3
F
UGA
52
GATec
7
F
Bama
45
Aub
48
F
Colo
15
Utah
45
F
Okla
34
OkSt
16
F
FlaSt
17
Fla
40
F
Wisc
38
MIN
17
F
Bayl
61
Kans
6
F
Rut
6
PSU
27
F
OreSt
10
Oreg
24
F
ND
45
Stan
24
F
Cin
24
Mem
34
F
Iowa
27
Neb
24
F
Boise
31
ColSt
24
F
App
48
Troy
13
F
VaTec
30
UVA
39
F
Navy
56
Hou
41
F
Ohio
52
Akr
3
F
WestMI
14
NIU
17
F
Miss
20
MissSt
21
F
Kent
34
E Mi
26
F
Toled
7
C Mi
49
F
BGSU
7
Buff
49
F
MiaOH
27
Ball
41
F
TxTch
24
Tex
49
F
MIZ
24
Ark
14
F
WaSt
13
Wash
31
F
WVU
20
TCU
17
F
ArkSt
30
SoAl
34
F
SoFL
7
UCF
34
F
TxSt
21
CoCar
24
F
Tuls
49
ECU
24
F
NW
29
Ill
10
F
Ind
44
Purd
41
F(1OT)
FLInt
27
Marsh
30
F OT
Lou
13
KY
45
F
Wake
30
Syr
39
F OT
Wyo
6
AF
20
F
MidTN
26
W Ky
31
F
UNCC
38
OD
22
F
NMS
28
Lib
49
F
UNLV
33
NEV
30
F OT
Rice
30
UTEP
16
F
UConn
17
Temp
49
F
UTSA
27
LT
41
F
BC
26
Pitt
19
F
MD
16
MSU
19
F
SMiss
17
FlAtl
34
F
MiaFL
17
Duke
27
F
Tul
20
SMU
37
F
UtSt
38
NM
25
F
UAB
26
NorTx
21
F
Vand
10
Tenn
28
F
GASt
10
GaSo
38
F
IASt
17
K St
27
F
UNC
41
NCSt
10
F
ULMon
30
ULLaf
31
F
BYU
3
SDSU
13
F
Ariz
14
AzSt
24
F
Cal
28
UCLA
18
F
Fres
16
SJSU
17
F
Army
31
Hawaii
52
F
Florida St.-Florida Preview
Fri Nov 29, 2019 1:20 PM

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) It wasn’t too long ago that Florida State and Florida were in opposite positions.

The Seminoles had the better program, the more stable coaching situation and were enjoying double-digit wins annually. The Gators, meanwhile, struggled to develop quarterbacks and found themselves lagging behind their most hated in-state rival.

Willie Taggart and Dan Mullen, hired nine days apart in 2017, had a lot to do with reversing those roles.

Now, No. 8 Florida (9-2) is well ahead of Florida State (6-5) and looking for its first winning streak in the series in a decade when they meet in the sold-out Swamp on Saturday night.

“I’ve seen the change,” Gators defensive tackle Adam Shuler said. “It’s magical.”

It’s probably more cyclical. But Florida will gladly take it after losing five straight and seven of eight to Florida State between 2010 and 2017.

Mullen replaced Jim McElwain in November 2017 and led the Gators to a 10-win season - and a 41-14 victory in Tallahassee - in 2018. Mullen’s work with quarterbacks Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Emory Jones has been a key part of the team’s turnaround.

Taggart replaced Jimbo Fisher’s unraveling program the week after Mullen was hired in Gainesville and looked mostly lost during 21 games at the helm. He was fired after less than two years on the job.

Longtime FSU assistant and interim head coach Odell Haggins is 2-0 since Taggart’s firing and 4-0 in two stints as interim coach. But his streak is in jeopardy against the Gators, who are 18-point favorites and trying to finish undefeated at home for the third time since 2010.

“It’s a lot more juice at practice,” Haggins said. “Kids know what’s at stake. I always say this: It’s a one-game series. Throw out the record book and just get ready to play ball.”

The Seminoles, who missed a bowl last year for the first time since 1981, need a victory to improve their postseason landing spot and strengthen Haggins’ case to get the job.

The annual coaching carousel begins Sunday, with teams firing and hiring all across the country. It’s unclear how close Florida State is to making a decision on its vacancy.

“When things like that happen, I think character is revealed,” FSU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said. “We have a lot of high-character people here that are working at Florida State. There’s two ways you can handle things. We’re going to handle it the right way.”

If Florida handles business in the Swamp, it would notch 10 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2009 and move a step closer to securing a New Year’s Six bowl.

Equally pressing for the Gators: they have lost four in a row against Florida State in Gainesville. None of those was even close, giving Florida players extra motivation to end the streak and create one of their own against the ‘Noles.

“Well, their mindset is, ‘We have nothing to lose, so why not go out there and give it everything we’ve got?’” Florida center Nick Buchanan said. “I know those guys are hungry to come out here and spoil our season and come into the Swamp and get a ‘W’ just like they have done for the past three or four times.”

Some other things to know about a series that begin in 1958 and is being played for the 62nd consecutive year:

SENIOR DAY

Florida will recognize 22 seniors, including 14 scholarship players, prior to kickoff. The class is credited with getting Florida back on track following the team’s 4-7 debacle in 2017.

“These guys have faced lots of different adversity throughout their career,” Mullen said. “Different head coaches, some ups and downs. ... I told them right from the beginning that we’ll be successful at some point. The sooner everybody buys in, the sooner we’ll be successful. And those guys bought in and we’ve had some success.”

FINALLY BACK

Florida defensive end Jabari Zuniga, one of the team’s most disruptive pass-rushers, is expected to play a full game for the first time since early September.

The fifth-year senior has dealt with a high ankle sprain most of the season. He was only able to play on third down against Georgia, sat out the last two games and had a bye week to get as close as possible to full speed.

RARE BYE

Florida had a bye week before facing FSU for the first time since 2005. The Gators won that game 34-7 in Gainesville.

BETTING WINDOW

This is the seventh time since 1995 that the betting line has been a double-digit point spread. The heavy favorite has won and covered in each of the previous six: 2000-01, 2007-09 and 2013.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

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