Even if you’ve followed every rumor and update of this conference realignment cycle, this season’s college football schedules are still hard to comprehend.
At least they were for me when I continued my annual tradition of ranking every game featuring a Florida team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Gators play at new SEC member Texas for the first time since 1939. USF does not play SMU. Florida State does, however, because the Mustangs have moved up from the American Athletic Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference despite, you know, not being anywhere near the Atlantic.
Neither is Cal, which plays its first ACC game at FSU and faces Miami in his first conference home game. UCF’s sophom*ore season in the Big 12 includes all four newcomers: Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado (still led by Deion Sanders).
As if those new pairings weren’t enough, the schedules also feel bigger as the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams. Memphis-USF isn’t merely an interesting AAC matchup; it could have playoff implications for one, if not both, teams.
I weighed all those factors along with my usual, unscientific metric (my excitement level) as I ranked every game in the state from 77 to 1.
77. Monmouth at Florida International, Sept. 21
I don’t know how many programs in the nation have zero Floridians on their roster, but Monmouth is one of them.
76. Wagner at Florida Atlantic, Sept. 28
75. Charleston Southern at Florida State, Nov. 23
74. Bethune-Cookman at USF, Aug. 31
73. New Hampshire at UCF, Aug. 29 (Thursday)
Notable because it’s the debut of new UCF quarterback KJ Jefferson and it’s a weeknight.
72. Florida A&M at Miami (Sept. 7)
71. Samford at Florida, Sept. 7
The Bulldogs hung 52 on the Gators in their last trip to Gainesville (a loss) in a game that helped doom Dan Mullen’s tenure. If Samford does it again this year…
70. Sam Houston at UCF, Sept. 7
69. Sam Houston at Florida International, Oct. 22 (Tuesday)
68. Florida Atlantic at UConn, Sept. 21
67. Ball State at Miami, Sept. 14
Gaither High product Kiael Kelly started six games at quarterback for Ball State last year, briefly entered the transfer portal but remained with the Cardinals as an athlete (listed at defensive back).
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Explore all your options66. New Mexico State at Florida International, Oct. 29 (Tuesday)
65. Florida Atlantic at Temple, Nov. 16
64. Louisiana Tech at Florida International, Sept. 28
63. Florida International at Texas El Paso, Oct. 16 (Wednesday)
62. Florida International at Kennesaw State, Nov. 23
It’s hard to see the Panthers challenging for a bowl appearance without a win over the Owls, who are jumping to the Football Bowl Subdivision.
61. Florida Atlantic at Tulsa, Nov. 30
It’s also hard to see the Owls challenging for a bowl appearance without winning this regular-season finale.
60. Tulsa at USF, Nov. 23
59. Florida International at Jacksonville State, Nov. 16
58. USF at Southern Miss, Sept. 14
57. Middle Tennessee at Florida International, Nov. 30
Curious to see how the Blue Raiders end their first season under former Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason.
56. North Texas at Florida Atlantic, Oct. 12
55. Charlotte at Florida Atlantic, Nov. 23
54. Charlotte at USF, Nov. 16
Max Brown flashed at times in his first career start (for the Gators in last year’s finale against FSU). Can he lead Charlotte to respectability in his first year there?
53. Navy at USF, Nov. 9
52. Rice at USF, Nov. 29/30
51. Florida Atlantic at East Carolina, Nov. 7 (Thursday)
50. Army at Florida Atlantic, Sept. 7
West Point’s first conference game in two decades (when the Black Knights were in Conference USA with the likes of USF, Louisville and Cincinnati).
49. Central Michigan at Florida International, Sept. 7
Keep an eye on Chippewas quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., son of the former Bucs receiver. He’s a dynamic playmaker for ex-Gators coach Jim McElwain (29-28 in five seasons at Central Michigan).
48. Cincinnati at UCF, Oct. 12
47. Florida Atlantic at Texas San Antonio, Oct. 19
46. Florida International at Florida Atlantic, Sept. 14
The Shula Bowl is back after a one-year hiatus. The Owls have won six in a row.
45. Alabama Birmingham at USF, Oct. 19
The Bulls’ homecoming game is also a homecoming for Blazers coach (and former Bucs quarterback) Trent Dilfer. It’ll be his first meaningful action at Raymond James Stadium since winning Super Bowl 35 with the Ravens.
44. Wake Forest at Miami, Nov. 23
43. Florida International at Indiana, Aug. 31
The Hoosiers debut of Curt Cignetti, who replaced Tom Allen (a former Hillsborough County prep coach).
42. Florida Atlantic at Michigan State, Aug. 30 (Friday)
The Spartans debut of Jonathan Smith, who went a respectable 34-35 at Oregon State.
41. FSU at Duke, Oct. 18 (Friday)
40. USF at Florida Atlantic, Nov. 1 (Friday)
USF fans insist it’s not a rivalry, but the Owls planting a state flag at home after blowing out the Bulls adds some juice to this in-state AAC matchup.
39. Florida at Mississippi State, Sept. 21
38. Miami at Syracuse, Nov. 30
37. Florida International at Liberty, Oct. 8 (Tuesday)
A weeknight game provides an excuse to watch the Flames — a Conference USA favorite that will be in the playoff mix.
36. BYU at UCF, Oct. 26
35. UCF at Arizona State, Nov. 9
College football in 2024: traveling from Orlando to Arizona for a conference game of a league based in Texas.
34. UCF at West Virginia, Nov. 23
33. UCF at TCU, Sept. 14
32. Cal at FSU, Sept. 21
31. Miami at Cal, Oct. 5
30. Duke at Miami, Nov. 2
Manny Diaz returns to Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since he was fired so the Hurricanes could hire Mario Cristobal. If Cristobal loses this one, things will grow very uncomfortable.
29. Arizona at UCF, Nov. 2
28. Kentucky at Florida, Oct. 19
A Gators loss would mean their first four-game losing streak to Kentucky since 1948-51.
27. Boston College at FSU, Sept. 2 (Monday)
This high because it’s the only Labor Day matchup, it’s the Eagles debut for former Penn State/Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien and because Boston College quarterback (and UCF transfer) Thomas Castellanos is fun to watch. FSU better not have jet lag from its Ireland opener.
26. Texas A&M at Florida, Sept. 14
25. Miami at Georgia Tech, Nov. 9
24. UCF at Iowa State, Oct. 19
A conference road win against Wiregrass Ranch High alumnus Rocco Becht would be big for the Knights’ trajectory.
23. Miami at Louisville, Oct. 19
22. North Carolina at FSU, Nov. 2
Max Johnson — son of Bucs Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson — beat the Gators for LSU, beat Miami for Texas A&M and will try to beat the Seminoles for the Tar Heels (assuming he wins the starting job).
21. USF at Alabama, Sept. 7
The Bulls won’t sneak up on ‘Bama this time, especially on the day the school names its field after Nick Saban.
20. USF at Tulane, Sept. 28
An early indicator of whether the Bulls can break into the top tier of the AAC.
19. FSU vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin, Aug. 24
DJ Uiagalelei’s debut and the Irish setting makes this opener much more interesting.
18. UCF at Utah, Nov. 29 (Friday)
The regular-season finale should have high stakes for the Utes, a Big 12 and playoff contender.
17. Miami at USF, Sept. 21
Higher than USF-Alabama because it should be tighter. Put this on upset watch.
16. Memphis at FSU, Sept. 14
Obvious story line: Seminoles coach Mike Norvell against his old team (led by his former assistant, Ryan Silverfield). More important story line: If the Tigers win the AAC, a win in Tallahassee would bolster their playoff case as the top mid-major champion.
15. FSU at SMU, Sept. 28
The Mustangs’ first league game as a power-conference team is a dangerous road trip for the ‘Noles.
14. Virginia Tech at Miami, Sept. 27 (Friday)
The Hokies are a dark-horse ACC contender. Hopefully this weeknight game has the same buzz as their 2017, top-15 showdown did.
13. UCF at Florida, Oct. 5
Big for Billy Napier’s future because it’s not the Gators’ biggest-name opponent. If he loses this one against an in-state program some Florida fans still view as a mere directional school, the angst will spike.
12. Memphis at USF, Oct. 11 (Friday)
They combined for 109 points and more than 1,100 yards in USF’s two-score loss last year. This matchup should also be explosive … with conference title implications, too.
11. Mississippi at Florida, Nov. 23
Lane Kiffin’s Rebels are playoff contenders and should be favored for their first win at Florida since 2008 (Tim Tebow’s now-famous “promise” speech).
10. Colorado at UCF, Sept. 28
FSU legend Deion Sanders is back in Florida, and some in the industry think his head coaching career will have a run in the state before it ends. For now, the Coach Prime hype alone isn’t enough to elevate a matchup of two mid-tier Big 12 teams any higher.
9. Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville), Nov. 2
Only one of the last 10 meetings has been decided by one score. This one should be lopsided, too, as the Bulldogs make another run at a national title.
8. Florida at Texas, Nov. 9
The Longhorns are also national title contenders and have an open date before hosting the Gators. A tough matchup at a tough time for UF.
7. Florida at Tennessee, Oct. 12
Considering how brutal the Gators’ November looks, the chance for a road rivalry win against a team with playoff potential makes this matchup huge.
6. Florida at Florida State, Nov. 30
Lukewarm prediction: The Seminoles will be able to essentially seal a playoff spot with a win, while the Gators’ bowl eligibility rests on the outcome.
5. LSU at Florida, Nov. 16
The highest of the Gators’ season-ending five-game gauntlet because it’s seems like their most winnable matchup. The Tigers are a bigger wild card than the rest because they replace Heisman winner Jayden Daniels with Garrett Nussmeier (son of former Florida assistant Doug Nussmeier). A victory over a preseason playoff contender would buoy Napier’s job security.
4. FSU at Notre Dame, Nov. 9
FSU is one of the few marquee games in Notre Dame’s mediocre schedule, which means it’s huge for the independent Irish’s playoff resume.
3. FSU at Miami, Oct. 26
If Cristobal’s Hurricanes take off this fall, this rivalry will have ACC championship stakes for both sides…
2. Clemson at FSU, Oct. 5
… but I’m much more confident this one will have bigger ACC implications. It will also be another referendum on the Tigers’ status as a national power under transfer-phobic Dabo Swinney.
1. Miami at Florida, Aug. 31
A relatively easy choice for a few reasons. The stakes are enormous. Both coaches are entering Year 3, so patience is thin in both fan bases. Either Napier or Cristobal will start the season with a loss to an in-state peer their fans don’t like. The message boards will melt down as the hot seat chatter cranks up. The anxiety will be high, which makes this the state’s most interesting game of the year.
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