An inter-state rivalry is renewed this season when the Miami Hurricanes play the Florida Gators. The Gators travel several hours down south to take on the Hurricanes, with this game set for an early noon-time kickoff on Saturday. ESPN will have the coverage of this one, which will immediately follow after the conclusion of College Gameday.
- When:
Sat., Sept. 7th, 2013 @ 12:00pm ET
- Where:
SunLife Stadium, Miami, FL
- Who’s Favored?
Gators by 3 ~ 49 o/u @ BetOnline
- More Info:
This is a big season and a big game for both teams coming into Saturday. Both faced inferior opponents in Week 1, and it’s hard to say if we really learned anything about either team. Miami easily handled FIU, while Florida opened up their 2013 campaign against Toledo. Saturday’s game should tell us a lot more about each program.
Perhaps one could argue the case that if Miami wants to take that next step, it would start with a win against Florida. The Gators after all were at one point the No.2 ranked team in the country in 2012 and played in a BCS Bowl game.
The Hurricanes would have been the ACC Coastal representative in the championship game against Florida State last season, but self imposed penalties stemming from many NCAA violations uncovered. As a result, Miami’s achievement went relatively unnoticed last season. The jury is still out on what to expect if any further NCAA violations, but head coach Al Golden has a big opportunity to get a statement win for the program, and what he can control on the field.
Miami is the underdog at home by a field goal in a game that will come down to how quarterback Stephen Morris performs against a stout Gator defense.