MIAMI, Fla. — As the college football season creeps past the halfway point, the state of college ball in the state of Florida is not exactly sunny.
In fact, it’s pretty cloudy.
Outside of Miami, (6-0 and sporting a No. 6 national ranking), no state team even has a winning record. UM may face a test Saturday in 4-2 Louisville.
After entering the season in the Top 25, FSU’s shocking season has left the Seminoles with one win as the calendar moves past mid-October.
In Gainesville, coach Billy Napier’s seat keeps getting hotter. Last week’s 23-17 loss at then-No. 8 Tennessee leaves the Gators at 3-3, and Kentucky, Georgia and No. 1 Texas are looming.
Meanwhile, UCF (3-3 overall) continues to meander in the Big 12. The Knights are on a three-game slide after opening the year with three consecutive wins. UCF hits the road against No. 9 Iowa State this week.
USF is struggling in its own three-game losing streak, putting up just 28 points during its slide. The Bulls (2-4) will look to get right this week with a home game against Alabama-Birmingham.
Here’s a closer look at the Week 8 games:
Friday, Oct. 18
FSU (1-5, 1-4 ACC) at Duke (5-1, 1-1), 7 p.m., ESPN2
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brock Glenn will again be under center as the youth movement continues. The Seminoles have never lost to the Blue Devils on the football field. Expect a tight game as the FSU defense took a hit with the season-ending injury to linebacker DJ Lundy.
Saturday, Oct. 19
No. 6 Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC) at Louisville (4-2, 2-1), noon, ABC and ESPN+
The Miami Hurricanes have had two near-misses the past two weeks, getting past Virginia Tech 38-34 and California 39-38. Could Louisville trip up the Hurricanes and stellar quarterback Cam Ward? The Cardinals have lost two of three games but come into this matchup against Miami with a defense that ranks 43rd nationally.
Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC) at Florida (3-3, 1-2), 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
True freshman DJ Lagway will take over at quarterback for the rest of the season after Graham Mertz tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a 23-17 loss at then-No. 8 Tennessee on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Wildcats were penalized 12 times for 106 yards last week in a 20-13 loss to Vanderbilt after upsetting No. 6 Mississippi two weeks ago.
UCF (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) at No. 9 Iowa State (6-0, 3-0), 7:30 p.m., FS1
The game marks the first between the Knights and Cyclones and starts a challenging two weeks for UCF against Top 25 opponents. The good news is the Cyclones are not coming off a bye week. The bad news is the Knights are on a three-game losing streak and have only managed to score a combined 26 points the past two weeks. Iowa State’s defense allows only 11 points and 285.3 total yards a game. As of Wednesday afternoon, UCF coach Gus Malzahn had not said who will start at quarterback this week after sitting KJ Jefferson last week against Cincinnati, starting 17-year-old true freshman EJ Colson and giving redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown most of the playing time in a 19-13 loss.
Alabama-Birmingham (1-5, 0-3 AAC) at USF (2-4, 0-2), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
What was expected to be a promising season has taken a slide with three consecutive losses, including blowout losses to Miami and Tulane. USF and its struggling offense will try to right the ship with a couple of American Conference cellar-dwellers in UAB this week and at Florida Atlantic next week.