What to Know
- Of course, before the games can be played, we rank up each game with our NBC 6 not-so-scientific-system.
It was a tale of two days last weekend in the world of football in South Florida – while the college world did very well with every school winning, the Miami Dolphins to take all of that joy and throw it in the trash with a shutout loss that might have been worse than their season opener.
Now, the pigskin turns to a new week and another chance for new questions to be answered: can the Miami Hurricanes and FIU Panthers get to .500 on the season? Can the Florida Gators avoid a letdown with their starting quarterback lost to an injury? Can the FSU Seminoles actually hold a halftime lead and win this week?
At the same time, the Miami Dolphins hit the road for the first time this regular season against a team that just happens to be undefeated and already talking about playoffs – so that’s going to end up real well, right?
Of course, before the games can be played, we rank up each game with our NBC 6 not-so-scientific-system.
Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys (Sunday)
Local
Of course we would choose a picture taken from the 1993 meeting between the teams on Thanksgiving – because at this point, the Dolphins are in serious risk of being stuffed out of their minds since they have been outscored 102-10 in their first two losses to Baltimore and New England.
Yes, the Dolphins can always win the game…but it ain’t going to happen this time. The biggest question is going to be how long with quarterback Josh Rosen, making his first regular season start for the Fins, actually stay in the game before he either gets benched or injured.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (Saturday)
After two straight fourth quarter losses, Miami finally got the first win of the Manny Diaz head coaching era in a convincing way – beating FCS foe Bethune Cookman by 63 points in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score might indicate.
For the men in orange and green, the problem the first two games was a defense that went from being their high point last season to one that let them down in 2019. A shutout last weekend was the first step in going the right way – a step that should continue before ACC play continues in two weeks against Virginia Tech.
FIU Panthers at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Friday)
While the ‘Canes were handling their FCS foe, the men from Southwest 8th Street were in a much tighter contest that still saw them get their first win of the season – over FCS power New Hampshire as they prepare to return to Conference USA play this weekend.
FIU will not just be going for their first conference win of the season – they will be looking to beat the Bulldogs for the first time in program history with Louisiana Tech coming out on top in 2013 and again in both 2015 and 2016.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Louisville Cardinals (Saturday)
Last season, the Noles needed a last minute touchdown just to get a win on the road against the Cardinals that was one of the last real highlights of the first losing season for the program since 1976. This season, the Noles are again 1-2 and needing a win to help cool that hot seat under head coach Willie Taggart.
Louisville will be looking to win its second game all time over the Seminoles in Tallahassee – with the first time coming in the first ever meeting between the programs in 1952 and the second coming in their last meeting there in 2017.
Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers (Saturday)
There was a point not that long ago where this was the game of the year in the Southeastern Conference – now, it’s a noon game that shouldn’t be all that close considering the Vols are coming in with a 1-2 record and a loss to lowly Georgia State.
The Gators, while 3-0 on the season, have their own issues after losing starting quarterback Feleipe Franks for at least the rest of the regular season following an ankle injury last week against Kentucky – giving Kyle Trask his first ever start in just the redshirt sophomore’s sixth game played.
Other State Games
The UCF Knights, coming off a big ranked win over Power Five conference member Stanford, hit the road this weekend to take on Pittsburgh. In the FCS level, FAMU is at home and taking on Southern while Bethune Cookman hits the road to face Mississippi Valley State.
In the pro game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New York Giants looking for their second win of the season while the Jacksonville Jaguars get a weekend to rest after their Thursday night win over the Tennessee Titans.
