We don’t base these things on total wins andlosses, or even the quality of wins and losses. Or national rankings.
And by We, I obviously mean Me.
My rankings, my rules, my criteria.
DJ Lagway and Billy Napier had plenty to celebrate over the season’s final few weeks.
Results versus expectations: We expected the Miami Hurricanes to be good this year. But 10-wins good? Some were expecting no less than that, though recent disappointments have led others to slow-roll the hype each new season brings.
Florida Gator onlookers, however — the most sober among them, anyway — were just hoping against hope to avoid a fourth straight losing season. Noticeable improvement was the hope, but a schedule of tall timber loomed large.
Advantage: Gators over ‘Canes, by a little.
Current trends: Here’s the clincher. If you think Miami wrapped up the regular season with better mojo than Florida, you must’ve been spending your Saturdays watching the PBA Tour.
So here we are. After three months of Miami and the rest in our weekly rankings, we end the regular season with a coup.
Rank & File: Hurricanes and Gators swap spots in our weekly Florida football rankings
The weekly ranking of Florida’s seven big-league college football programs, based on results versus expectations(!), current trends(!), and perceived sideways glances from Elon …
1. Florida Gators (7-5)
Last week: (Ranked 2) Beat FSU, 31-11. What’s up: Bowl projections have the Gators all over the map, literally, though Jacksonville (Gator Bowl) and Tampa (Gasparilla Bowl) seem to be co-leaders in the clubhouse. There’s a chance to win four straight for the first time since 2020. Those who pay a lot of attention to such things are very excited about the new recruiting class, but aren’t they always?
2. Miami Hurricanes (10-2)
Last week: Lost to Syracuse, 42-38. What’s up: I already explained the reason for flip-flopping the ’Canes and Gators here. But there’s also this: If Florida and Miami played each other this week, who would you pick to win? Not as quick to answer as you would’ve been a month ago. If you’re into math formulas, the Sagarin Ratings have Miami ranked 14th (83.70) and Florida 19th (81.99), the best among five-loss teams.
3. USF Bulls (6-6)
Last week: (3) Lost to Rice, 35-28. What’s up: An upset loss at Rice mucked up a neat late-season run. But still expect to see Bulls coach Alex Golesh’s name pop up around some of the vacancies. Anything outside of a Power Four job, however, would be a sideways move at best. And yes, the Big 12 is a Power Four. (Ahem, see below).
4. UCF Knights (4-8)
Last week: (4) Lost to Utah, 28-14. What’s up: You see the typical mix of guys mentioned for the Knights’ coaching vacancy — current offensive coordinators, head coaches at lower levels, etc. But the two most intriguing names have to be Jon Gruden and Scott Frost. Gruden would bring instant star power and a coaching track record, while Frost seems like an overly sentimental possibility. Remember, the college football world was a very different place when Frost was in Orlando winning a “national championship” several years back.
5. FIU Panthers (4-8)
Last week: (5) Beat Middle Tennessee, 35-24. What’s up: Panthers AD Scott Carr thanked fired coach Mike MacIntyre for “solidifying the foundation” during his three-year run. Let’s see … 4-8, 4-8 and, whaddaya know, another 4-8. Not sure that’s a foundation you want to firm up. Seems like a million years ago that Mario Cristobal and Butch Davis were piecing together consecutive winning seasons at the other Miami school.
6. FAU Owls (3-9)
Last week: (6) Beat Tulsa, 63-16. What’s up: New coach Zach Kittley is just 33 and lowers the median age in Boca Raton by 1.3 years. He might age quickly, but it’s probably time for the Owls to quit looking for another Lane Kiffin-caliber coaching reclamation. In his intro speech to the team, Coach Zach promised a fast-paced offense and an aggressive defense, thus repeating the promises of 2,639 new coaches before him.
7. FSU Seminoles (2-10)
Last week: (7) Lost to Florida, 31-11. What’s up: Someone is going to do a helluva documentary on the FSU free fall from last year’s high to this nuclear winter of a 2024 season. Maybe they should hurry, because in the current climate, one of today’s playoff contenders just might suffer the same fate next year. Or maybe two of them. Is Gus Malzahn salvaging or dooming what’s left of his coaching career?
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