Andy Staples evaluates implications of Florida-Miami Week 1 showdown: 'Whoever loses this game is getting wrecked'
The stakes of a Week 1 college football matchup don’t get much bigger than the in-state rivalry taking place in the Swamp this weekend, as Miami travels to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators.
Both programs find themselves in similar situations with their respective head coaches entering their third seasons following two straight 3-5 finishes in conference play. Leading to On3’s Andy Staples getting creative when trying to quantify what’s on the line for both teams during his Tuesday appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show.
“It is so fascinating Paul, because it does not matter what the outcome is. There’s a scalding take to come from it and I keep trying to figure out the best name for this thing,” Staples said. “I’ve called it the pitchforks and torches bowl, now I’m leaning toward the I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you bowl.”
“Because you’ve got Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier hired within eight days of one another, both of their schools say we’re going to give you more resources than we’ve ever devoted to football before. Neither of them have delivered on what they promised when they got there. They’ve been different levels of disappointing, but kind of the same.”
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Cristobal and Napier both rank in the top three of the college head coaches most likely to be fired first upcoming season. A plus-money bet that will likely have a much smaller payout for whichever head coach is on the losing end of Saturday’s matchup.
“So now they face off, and they’ve kind of been circling around one other, they’ve been being compared to one another. Now they actually get to play on the field. Whoever loses this game is getting wrecked, and whoever wins it, it’s a brief reprieve,” Staples said. “Both of them still have to get it done throughout the year, but you don’t want to lose this game.”
Miami has a revamped roster thanks to an impressive offseason in the transfer portal, highlighted by the addition of quarterback Cam Ward. One of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football who some believe can help lead the Hurricanes to an ACC title this season.
Florida on the other hand has a schedule tabbed as the most difficult in college football this season, with their Week 1 home opener versus the Hurricanes serving as a crucial spot to take home a win following a five-win season under Napier last year. Also tasked with protecting their impressive streak of 33 consecutive wins in home openers since 1990. Setting the stage for an intriguing, high-stakes matchup that will surely have the attention of the college football landscape.
“This is this is a disaster because both fan bases have convinced themselves that their program is superior and that the shortcomings of the other team’s coach will be the downfall on Saturday. But I honestly have no clue what’s going to happen in this game,” Staples concluded.