Saturday, the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes square off in a compelling matchup. For decades, these two renowned programs have not only battled on the field, but also regarding potential college recruits. Both programs have commenced the season heading in two different directions.
For the ascending Miami Hurricanes, the season has gotten off to a remarkable start. Boasting a fourth rank and undefeated record, the Hurricanes are a confident team. The Florida Gators, on the other hand, commenced the season ranked in the top twenty, but after faltering with two consecutive defeats, the Gators are not exactly "brimming with confidence." Gone for the Florida Gators is the chance to become considered a top-ranked program this season, due to the program underperforming in back-to-back-matchups.
The role that the Florida Gators program have no choice to play is the role of "the spoiler." That is what the Gators would love to do, which is march into Miami to defeat the Canes on their own home turf. Defeating the second consecutive "sunshine state" rival would help the Hurricanes record another victory over another instate rival. Are the Miami Hurricanes aware of the Florida Gator's intentions to spoil a potential "Cinderella season?"
Mario Cristobal would not allow his team to lose focus on the task at hand. Each game, with the exception of the Florida Gator's opening game has seen the program lose contests that they were in, but the team was unable to finish and fell short at the end. The Miami Hurricanes, on the other hand, have won two blow-out contests, with the initial matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the lone nail-biter.
Heading into this primetime matchup on ABC Saturday has the University of Miami football program reminiscing about the plethora of elite success the program experienced in the decades of the 1980s and 1990s. The Gators might be down, but certainly they will strive to give the Canes "all that they can handle." On a quest to become the number one program hailing from the state of Florida, it will be no secret that the Miami Hurricanes are dying to make a statement to all Florida fans, as well as to the national audience regarding who is "Florida's best."