Cole Pepper
The college football season has kicked off with the first full weekend underway.
On Thursday night, two Florida teams opened the season with victories. USF upset No. 25 Boise State 34-7, while UCF outlasted Jacksonville State 17-10.
There is more to come.
Florida, Florida State, Miami and other teams from the Sunshine State launch into the season this weekend. Here’s what to expect:
Florida State hosts Alabama (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
— The Seminoles are coming off the program’s worst season in a half-century. After going 2-10 last season, head coach Mike Norvell brought in new coordinators — Gus Malzahn on offense and Tony White on defense — to try to repair both sides of the ball. Last season saw a drop-off at quarterback after the graduation of Jordan Travis. This season, former Boston College quarterback Tommy Castellanos transferred to Tallahassee.
— Alabama will also play with a new quarterback. Ty Simpson takes over for Jalen Milroe. This is the fourth season at Alabama for the former five-star recruit. He has thrown 50 passes in the previous three seasons, mostly in mop-up duty.
— The game will also mark the debut of the renovated Doak Campbell Stadium. The new capacity of the stadium is now 67,277, down from 79,560 before the renovations began.
Florida hosts Long Island (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, SECN+)
— The Gators rebounded last season to finish 8-5, including a bowl win. They have designs on contending in the SEC this season. If quarterback DJ Lagway can stay healthy, Florida could be one of the surprise teams in the conference. The Gators open the season ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press poll.
— The offensive line should be a strength of the team with left tackle Austin Barber and center Jake Slaughter, both redshirt seniors, in consideration for national awards. Both are on the Outland Trophy watch list.
— LIU is led by quarterback Ethan Greenwood, who earned a spot on the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list. The game marks the first time the two programs have met in football.
Miami hosts Notre Dame (Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
— The Hurricanes open the season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, with former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck taking over under center. Miami has not lost at home to Notre Dame since 1977, although the Irish lead the all-time series 18-8 with one tie.
— Notre Dame opens the season ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press top 25 after playing for the national championship last season. The Irish defense was one of the best in the country last season, leading the nation in pass efficiency, turnovers forced, touchdowns and blocked kicks.
— This is the first time the two programs have met in football since 2017, and the first time the two head coaches, Miami’s Mario Cristobal and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, have coached against one another.
Other games involving Florida schools
— FAU at Maryland (Saturday, noon ET, Big Ten Network): FAU’s new head coach Zach Kittley makes his debut as the youngest coach in Division I (34 years old). FAU and Maryland have never met in football.
— Bethune-Cookman at FIU (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+): This is the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs. FIU has never beaten Bethune-Cookman. The last meeting was in 2014. Bethune-Cookman opens with three straight road games, including next week at Miami, the longest stretch of consecutive road games for the program in six seasons.
— Howard vs. Florida A&M (Saturday 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU): The Orange Blossom Classic at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium features two programs from HBCUs with a history dating back to the first meeting in 1933. FAMU finished 7-5 last season, while Howard is coming off a 4-8 campaign.
