Florida State vs. Florida Live Radio Broadcast: Will Rivalry Keep This Game Even Somewhat Close?
ByMost likely, this one will end the way most games have for Florida State (11-0) this season: a fifty-something to ten-something blowout. The Seminoles have played exactly one semi-close game (a 48-34 win over Boston college in which they were down 14-3 in the first quarter); the rest have been egregiously one-sided affairs, including a 51-14 win over #6 Clemson (10-1) in mid October.
But this is rivalry week and this is Florida (4-7), albeit the program's first losing team since the 70's, according to the Associated Press. The Gators are expected to lose big (28 point underdogs) and don't have anything to play for after this game, defining the axiom, "nothing to lose," while the Seminoles have everything to play for after this game. They'll have a relatively easy matchup in the ACC Championship game and an almost certain bid to the title game if they win their next two games. (Narrow wins over Florida and their ACC championship opponent against huge season-ending wins for Ohio State, however, could make things interesting for that #2 spot in the BCS).
If this one wasn't at Florida, it wouldn't have been a top 5 rivalry matchup. If it wasn't played so early (12:00 pm E.T.), we probably wouldn't have ranked it as high as three, for anything out of the ordinary, like a noon start time, has to benefit Florida; even if the 12:00 kickoff somehow plays in Florida State's favor, they were expected to win anyway so such variables are a win-win for the Gators.
There's also the matter of the biggest wild card on the field Saturday: Heisman front runner Jameis Winston and his pending sexual assault case, which remains up in the air as the State Attorney's office continues its investigations, according to the Associated Press. "I mentally prepare myself for football ... always football," Winston said.
So today's game will be worth watching for several reasons: the chance to see a Heisman-quality (and freshman) quarterback lead his team to a BCS Championship bid amid serious legal accusations, the chance to once again see how much "rivalry" factors into such a lop sided matchup, and the chance to possibly watch a team win 70-0, or something to that effect. There's something mesmerizing about a blowout -- for the first half at least -- especially when a team has been doing it all season. Maybe Florida keeps it close for and Florida State struggles to react. The Seminoles will almost certainly win anyway, but at least the Gators will cover the spread and redeem (somewhat) last week's loss to Division 1AA Georgia Southern.
Live radio broadcast here.