It’s Rivalry Week in college football, and anyone born in the state of Florida knows that means it’s the Gators vs. Seminoles.
The folks at ESPN previewed some of the bigger matchups of the weekend, and Florida-FSU made the cut. Florida alumna Andrea Adelson knows exactly what’s a stake in this game.
“For Florida State to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, it has to find a way to win in Gainesville for the first time since 2017 without star quarterback Jordan Travis — out for the season with a lower-leg injury, ” Adelson wrote.
“It is hard to have higher stakes than that headed into a rivalry game. As for Florida, there are bowl stakes on the line. A win gets the Gators to six and automatic bowl eligibility.”
Adelson said that Florida State will win if head coach Mike Norvell can put together a plan on offense to make his backup, Tate Rodemaker, feel comfortable as a starter. The defense also has to get after Florida’s freshman backup under center.
Naturally, ESPN highlighted the quarterbacks in its “positions to watch” section. Both teams are down their starter, and many believe that Florida State is at a bigger disadvantage without Jordan Travis than Florida is without Graham Mertz.
“Both backups will start in this game — Tate Rodemaker for Florida State and Max Brown for Florida,” Adelson wrote. “As a fourth-year junior, Rodemaker possesses more experience, and last year came into the game at Louisville to lead a comeback victory. Last week in relief of Travis, he went 13-of-23 for 217 yards with two touchdowns. But that was against FCS North Alabama. The challenge Saturday will be far greater.”
Still, Brown is extremely inexperienced with playing time in just three games over his two seasons with Florida.
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