Florida State must seize opportunity against rival Florida

The Florida State Seminoles suffered a major loss on Saturday night, as star quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a gruesome looking leg injury. The Seminoles still bounced back and took care of business against North Alabama, winning in blowout fashion, 58-13, to keep their undefeated record intact. The only thing standing in the way of an undefeated regular season for the ‘Noles is their bitter rival, the Florida Gators.

On the Sunday evening edition of the Andy Staples podcast, Jeff Cameron of WarChant.com said the Seminoles must strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of the huge opportunity in front of them.

Jeff Cameron knows that Florida State must seize the opportunity

With Florida State currently trying to flip some recruits in the 2024 cycle that are committed to Florida, winning this game certainly wouldn’t hurt.

“Yeah, and I think this is an opportunity I think Mike has to take advantage of. You said it at the outset when we were talking,” Cameron said. “It seems like these two teams can’t be good at the same time and it’s frustrating because you really want to see those games of yesteryear in the 90s. Right?! Those great matchups. It just hasn’t happened. When Florida State’s been down, Florida was up. And when Florida went down, Florida State came up. It’s been interesting,”

While both programs might not be in the same place from a national standpoint, the games between these two rivals have still lived up to the hype the past two years. Florida State won last year’s version in a 45-38 classic. And Florida won the 2021 version 24-21.

“When you have a program like Florida in transition. And a coach trying to find his way. And he’s struggling right now, obviously. And the verdict is still out there,” Cameron explained. “We don’t know what’s gonna happen with Napier. That’s a brutal schedule next year. Right?”

The Gators currently stand at 5-6 overall on the 2023 campaign and they’ll need a win on Saturday to become bowl eligible. A win for the Seminoles would certainly sting even more for the Gators faithful.

“You have to, if you’re Mike Norvell and this staff, seize the opportunity to win the recruiting wars in the state,” Cameron explained. “This is how you step on somebody when they’re down. And it’s what Urban Meyer did to Florida State when he was in Gainesville. We’ve seen this play out. You and I’ve covered these teams for a long time and we’re very familiar with this rivalry. This is when you have an opportunity to do real damage off the field by winning recruits over, flipping guys at the last second, getting them on your sideline, adding to the misery of your rival,”

Florida State and Florida will tangle on Saturday, Nov. 25 in Gainesville, Florida. Kick time for that one is slated for 7 p.m. EST and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Florida currently leads the overall series between the two rivals, 37-27-2.