Florida and Florida State close out the regular season the same way they always do — hating each other — except this time both benches are stocked with coaches who need the win a lot more than the fans do.
Share
Show fees
FRI NOV 27 · 2:30 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
Florida
Florida State
Florida shows up to Tallahassee under a new voice entirely. Jon Sumrall takes over after Billy Napier was fired in-season, and he didn't waste any time reshaping the roster — 29 transfer additions since the coaching change, headlined by wideout Eric Singleton Jr. and quarterback Aaron Philo, both of whom already know new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner's system from their Georgia Tech and Auburn days. ESPN's preseason FPI actually likes what Sumrall's building, slotting the Gators at No. 18 nationally despite a schedule that doesn't do them any favors.
Florida State's whole offseason story is Mike Norvell trying to convince everybody he's not toast. He's taking play-calling duties back after Gus Malzahn retired, and the defense got a real facelift — Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones, who was a top-10 tackler in the FBS a year ago, and North Carolina's Mikai Gbayor reuniting with defensive coordinator Tony White. Norvell says this is going to be the best year of his life. The record says he's 7-18 since the infamous 2023 Playoff snub, with four missed postseasons in six years.
So this isn't two blue bloods jockeying for a Playoff spot — it's two staffs trying to prove their offseason overhaul actually worked, with a rival's colors as the backdrop. That context matters more than any market number on this one this early out.
Florida Gators
Florida State Seminoles
Florida has actually flipped the recent script here, winning the last two meetings after Florida State snapped a three-game skid with that 45-38 shootout back in 2022. All-time, Florida still leads the series 39-28-2, but this particular rivalry has swung hard on coaching changes before — Bowden vs. Spurrier, then a decade of one-sided results — so nobody should assume Sumrall's group just walks in and makes it three straight.
Florida Gators
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Florida State Seminoles
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report
By late November both rosters should finally look like what their new coordinators actually intended, for better or worse. That's what makes a Rivalry Week finale like this one interesting months out — it's less about who's ranked where in July and more about which staff has its team playing its best ball when Doak Campbell fills up on a Friday afternoon.
