Two long time rivals will once again tee it up in the state of Florida when the No. 11 Gators meet up with the Seminoles from Gainesville on Saturday night. Florida is looking to reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2008-09 and have wins over Florida State and Miami in the same season since 2008.
Florida State has already earned bowl eligibility one year after its decades-long bowl streak came to an end, but the Seminoles are fighting for pride and for the future of the program as Odell Haggins looks to go 2-0 against the Gators as an interim coach and improve his record to 5-0 across his two stints taking over for Jimbo Fisher in 2017 and Willie Taggart in 2019.
So who wins this showdown of Sunshine State rivals? Let's take a closer look at the matchup and make some picks both straight up and against the spread.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 30 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium -- Gainesville, Florida
TV: SEC Network | Live stream: WatchESPN.com
Storylines
Florida: While out of SEC Championship and College Football Playoff contention, the Gators are still in the mix for a New Year's Six bowl berth and a top-10 finish in the final rankings of the season. Dan Mullen has been everything that Florida could have asked for in a new head coach and these last two seasons have been proof positive that he has this program moving back towards national championship contention.
Mullen's impact is most evident on the offense and the passing attack, which appeared to be in danger when Feleipe Franks went down with an injury against Kentucky early in the season. Kyle Trask took over and, with Mullen's guidance, has led one of the best passing offenses that Florida has seen since Tim Tebow was on the roster. The Gators rank No. 19 nationally in passing offense, thanks not only to Trask's in-season development, but also to a deep group of skill position talent that includes eight different players who have recorded 150-plus receiving yards this season.
Florida State: The FSU administration declared early that it would not likely be making a hire until the end of the month, and despite weeks of unsourced Twitter reporting and message board rumors that tried to claim otherwise, we've arrived at the end of the month and the school has not yet named a replacement for Willie Taggart. Questions about the future of the Seminoles' football program linger over the present, and whether it's fair or not, the team's preparation and performance against a strong Gators team will be some reflection on interim coach Odell Haggins. In an era where Ed Orgeron and Dabo Swinney are leading teams to the playoff, the idea of promoting Haggins to the full-time job has picked up steam. But a key part of the argument for his candidacy is connection with the players and knowledge of the program, so how they play in a game that means so much to Florida State fans will be a part of the discussion.
Game prediction, picks
Florida State held a fourth quarter lead in one-score losses against Boise State, Wake Forest and Virginia. Taggart was removed in part because of the issues that contributed to letting those games get away, but this roster has the talent of a 9-2 team and I think Haggins will be able to tap into that given the emotional stakes of the game. Florida will win, and may win handily, but this number is too big. Pick: Florida State (+17.5)
So which picks can you make with confidence in Week 14? And which line is way off? Visit SportsLine now to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $4,000 in profit over the past four seasons.
