Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles

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.

Bush’s Picks

FLAFSU

FLAFSU

OverUnder

Best BetFlorida

Florida walks in with the more credentialed offseason — a coach who won everywhere he's been and a portal class built specifically for his new coordinator's system. Florida State is still answering questions about whether its rebuilt defense and a first-time-in-years play-calling Norvell can hold up against a Gators group that beat them each of the last two years. Betting Florida to win outright leans on the fresher, more forward-looking build.

Florida

• +New coach Sumrall went 42-11 at Tulane/Troy
• +29 transfer additions fit new OC's system
• +Preseason FPI ranks Gators No. 18 nationally
• −First year under entirely new staff and scheme
• −Brutal SEC slate could sap depth by November

Florida State

• +Norvell reclaims play-calling from retired Malzahn
• +Defense retooled with proven transfer tacklers
• +Home game at Doak in a rivalry setting
• −Just 7-18 since the 2023 Playoff snub
• −Lost the last two meetings in this series
• −Norvell squarely on the hot seat entering 2026

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.

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FLA Florida

FSU Florida State

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

Nov 20?vs Vanderbilt—

Nov 13?@ Kentucky—

Nov 6?vs Oklahoma—

Oct 31?@ Georgia—

Oct 16?@ Texas—

Oct 9?vs South Carolina—

Oct 2?@ Missouri—

Sep 25?vs Ole Miss—

Sep 19?@ Auburn—

Sep 12?vs Campbell—

Sep 5?vs Florida Atlantic—

Florida State Seminoles

Nov 20?vs NC State—

Nov 13?@ Pittsburgh—

Nov 6?@ Boston College—

Oct 30?vs Clemson—

Oct 16?@ Miami—

Oct 9?@ Louisville—

Oct 2?vs Virginia—

Sep 25?vs Central Arkansas—

Sep 19?@ Alabama—

Sep 7?vs SMU—

Aug 29?vs New Mexico State—

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 on ESPN's report

Florida State Seminoles

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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's 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.