The first-ever edition of the FL Teams college football power rankings is here. We rank the seven FBS teams in the State of Florida. Many of these, especially during the pre-season, can be interchangeable, but so far, these are the rankings we have going into Week 1!
1. Miami Hurricanes
Year one of the Mario Cristobal era seems to be off to a tremendous start. The Hurricanes bring back superstar QB Tyler Van Dyke, who ended the last season torching everyone the Hurricanes played. He threw for over 300 yards in the previous six games of the season. Having a QB as good as Van Dyke should make Cristobal’s job much easier.
Miami also returns vital pieces all around the roster such as running back Jaylan Knighton, who’s as talented of a back as you’re going to find in the country. Knighton is heavily slept on, mainly because the Canes used an air-raid system last season. Don’t be surprised if he’s a 1,000-yard rusher next season.
They also return five-star safety Avantae Williams, who will be asked to shoulder the defensive load. Even with all of this talent, the thing that stood out the most was how easy the schedule is for Miami. It’s a complete joke. They’ll easily be 3-1 to start the year and a chance to start 4-0 with a big Week 3 matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies. Still, besides this, the only other team that could beat Miami is Clemson later in the year; with the talent they have and the soft schedule, the Hurricanes could have a double-digit win season.
2. Florida Gators
The Florida Gators have also decided to re-build the program, hiring the highly sought-after Billy Napier after turning Louisiana University into a double-digit win team for three straight years. Napier has tempered expectations letting everyone know this is a process and will take some time. Still, he may have an easier time turning around the Gators since he has ultra-talented Anthony Richardson. You don’t get QBs like Richardson too often; he has the potential and talent to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. This should ease the growing pains and help Napier be successful in year one.
This team has many holes to fill, particularly in the run game and the defensive side of the ball. This Gators team could utterly collapse if Anthony Richardson isn’t as good as we all hoped, but again, this guy has world-class talent. Don’t be surprised if he’s up for the Heisman Trophy.
3. Florida State Seminoles
Mike Norvell is entering year three, and Florida State Seminole fans are starting to lose their patience.
After Willie Taggert (who is now at FAU) flamed out in two seasons, we were hoping Seminole fans would be more patient, but if the Noles aren’t back to their winning ways, Norvell might be shoved out the door.
This team continues to grow; there is no bigger example of this than Jordan Travis’s development. He has improved yearly, and if he can stay healthy for an entire season, this could be a dangerous team. Last season with Travis playing for the Noles, the offense ranked sixth in the nation in yards per play.
The Noles have also hit the transfer portal hard and landed Mycah Pittman from Oregon, who should quickly become a playmaker for this team in special teams and offense. We’ll learn about this team quickly as they play LSU in New Orleans in Week 1.
4. UCF Knights
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Truthfully, UCF has had a large downfall. After being the best college football team in the State of Florida last season (nine wins), it is unlikely that the Knights can beat out Miami or Florida for that notoriety.
If John Rhys Plumlee is named the starter, this could be the best rushing team in the country. Plumlee is transferring from Ole Miss; he’ll return to his original position after playing WR last season. In his second season, Guz Malzhan loves QBs that are better with their legs than their arms. We can trust Malzahn more than any other coach in Florida, assuring that this team will be competitive. However, it is hard to have the Knights over the Canes, Gators, and Noles.
5. South Florida Bulls
USF is expected to be better than ever this year, but their schedule is brutal.
The addition of QB Gerry Bohanon from Baylor is enormous, maybe the biggest transfer win of the season. He has NFL scouts looking at him. The 6’3 QB can do it all with his legs; he’s a quick runner that can make anything happen. He also has a plus arm strength. Also, his best quality is that he makes good decisions with the ball; he doesn’t turn it over a lot.
To go along with Bohanon on the offensive side of the ball, the WR core might be the best in Florida with Xavier Weaver and former Clemson prospect 6’4 WR Ajou Ajou, who should make an immediate impact.
The running back core also returns a trio of running backs who can all make big-time plays: Jaren Mangham (671 rushing yards), Kelly Joiner (480 rushing yards), and Brian Battie (238 rushing yards). Any of these guys can rip off big-time runs at any moment. Battie is also the best special teams player in the country; the preseason All-American kick returner can change the game in a flash.
Simply, this offense should be able to score with the best of them. It’s the defense that worries everyone. They were pitiful at best, and with their hard schedule, the team might not be able to get to a bowl game.
During the season, the USF Bulls play BYU, Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston. If the Bulls want to move up on these power rankings, they will need an upset win against one of these teams.
6. Florida Atlantic Owls
Will Willie Taggart flame out at his third Florida school?
FAU has had higher expectations since Lane Kiffin proved you could be consistently ranked. The offense should take another massive step forward with an entire offseason of N’Kosi Perry, who had a terrific year with 2,700 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions.
This offense returns key weapons in Johnny Ford (800 rushing yards last season) and LaJohntay Wester (702 receiving yards last season). The offense should be stronger to pair up with their top 50 defense. This team can definitely take a big jump with all of the veterans on their team, and an early season bout with UCF should be a good barometer on where this program is headed.
Don’t be surprised if FAU passes USF or even UCF on these power rankings.
7. FIU Panthers
The Panthers have had a brutal last two seasons, going 1-16 in that span. And to be honest, we don’t see much improvement.
It just seems like the university doesn’t care about sports at all. They will never improve if the school will never back their sports programs. FIU can maybe win three games, simply because of Mike MacIntyre, who has been known to turn around terrible football programs.
Not to mention, he compared potential starting QB Haden Carlson to legendary Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. My god, the balls to compare a QB who has never played a down in college football to a potential Hall of Famer.
Nevertheless, Carlson should be a solid quarterback for the Panthers. However, as of now, they are very well the worst FBS team in the State of Florida.