No. 5 Florida State puts 17-game win streak on the line against rival Florida in the Swamp
No. 5 Florida State (11-0, No. 5 CFP) at Florida (5-6), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Line: Florida State by 6 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Florida leads 37-27-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Florida State puts its 17-game winning streak on the line against Florida, which has lost four in a row and needs a victory to become bowl eligible. The Seminoles already clinched a spot in next month’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game in Charlotte, North Carolina, but have work to do to make the College Football Playoff. They dropped to fifth in the latest CFP standings following star QB Jordan Travis’ season-ending leg injury and probably need to win out to have a shot at making the four-team playoff.
KEY MATCHUP
Florida State’s dynamic receivers vs. Florida’s porous pass defense. Keon Coleman has 45 receptions for 615 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, and 6-foot-7 Johnny Wilson has 33 catches for 532 yards and two scores. The Gators have allowed six 100-yard receivers in their last five games, including LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. (6-150, 2 TDs), LSU’s Malik Nabers (6-132) and Missouri’s Luther Burden III (9-158).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Florida State: Fourth-year backup QB Tate Rodemaker stepped in for Travis last week against North Alabama and threw for 217 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. This will be his second career start — his first since 2020 against Jacksonville State — and first on the road. The Swamp has been a daunting place for inexperienced QBs. See Tennessee’s Joe Milton (2023), Missouri’s Brady Cook (2022), LSU’s Joe Burrow (2018), Auburn’s Bo Nix (2018), Missouri’s Drew Lock (2016) and South Carolina’s Connor Shaw (2012).
Florida: Redshirt freshman QB Max Brown stepped in for injured starter Graham Mertz (broken collarbone) last week at then-No. 11 Missouri and put the Gators in position to win down the stretch. Brown is more mobile than Mertz — he ran for 42 yards off the bench — and could pose problems for the Seminoles. This will be his first career start.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Seminoles have won eight of the last 12 meetings. … FSU has not allowed 30 points to any opponent this season. … The Seminoles lead the ACC in scoring offense (40.1 points a game) and scoring defense (16.9 points a game) and are one of only four teams to rank in the top 12 nationally in both categories. … Florida State’s five turnovers are the fewest in the nation. … Florida is 4-1 at home this season, with the loss coming to Arkansas earlier this month. … The Gators have scored in an NCAA-record 447 consecutive games, a streak that started in 1988 and is 53 games longer than anyone else in college football history.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll