This Saturday's edition of Florida vs. Florida State might wind up being among the most apathetic meetings in series history. The Gators have three wins and a coaching staff that will be out of a job by Sunday. The Seminoles have five wins, and the backdrop of trying to make a bowl game, led by a coaching staff that was retained solely because FSU is broke.
Given this level of ineptitude, it would have made sense if this game had been sublicensed out to Cartoon Network for a 6 AM kickoff so the rest of America didn't have to watch it. Instead, this game is getting a fairly high-profile timeslot.
Florida to play on ESPN2
It was announced over the weekend that Florida is going to take on FSU at 4:30 PM on ESPN2. The most notable games also happening around this timeslot are LSU vs. Oklahoma and Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt, so a good chunk of the country could tune in out of sheer curiosity.
2025 has been a massive flop for both Florida and FSU. The Gators had visions of a playoff berth with DJ Lagway as a dark horse Heisman contender. Instead, Lagway's offseason progression was stunted by an offseason shoulder issue that was compounded by a calf issue. Florida started 3-4 before Billy Napier was fired, and interim coach Billy Gonzales has yet to win a game.
FSU was looking to rebound from its disastrous 2024 campaign when it went 2-10. Things were looking up in the season opener when FSU beat Alabama, a loss that looks even more perplexing with each passing week. At 5-6, the Seminoles are hoping to be bowl eligible and just announced that Mike Norvell would return for one more season, much to the chagrin of FSU fans.
Florida won last year's matchup 31-11. After the game, George Gumbs planted a flag at midfield to set off a minor melee between the two teams.
All-time Florida is 38-28-2 against FSU. The last time Florida had an interim coach to take on FSU, the Gators won 24-21 in 2021.