What to Know
- Both the Miami Hurricanes and FIU Panthers look to rebound from disappointing openers.
- The Miami Dolphins kick off their 2018 season at home Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
After an opening week to the college football season that fans of several Florida programs would like a do-over from, the pro game gets into the action this weekend as football diehards get their first full weekend of action since the end of last season.
That means the Miami Dolphins return to the field for a game that counts, trying to figure out if they are the playoff team from head coach Adam Gase’s first season or the 6-10 disappointment from year two.
At the same time, both the Miami Hurricanes and FIU Panthers look to rebound from disappointing openers – while one Sunshine State power looks to continue the longest active winning streak over a single opponent when they meet Saturday. Here’s a breakdown of all the action with our scale ranking both the best games (maximum of four peacocks) to those that can be read about later (one peacock).
Miami Dolphins vs. Tennessee Titans
Now, the reason this game is getting so many peacocks has nothing to do with the talent on the field or the expectations for the Dolphins this season – it’s more because of the fact mentioned earlier that we still aren’t sure what Miami team will show up. One thing is for certain: the Dolphins will be putting all their hopes in the basket of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who will take the field in a regular season game for the first time since December 2016.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Savannah State Tigers
Unlike last week’s game against the Tigers from LSU, the ‘Canes should be able to tame these cats in the home opener for head coach Mark Richt’s third season. With quarterback Malik Rosier struggling in the first game, Richt may give his backups more of a chance assuming this blowout against a FCS foe goes as planned – possibly opening up a little competition heading into next week’s game at Toledo.
FIU Panthers at Old Dominion Monarchs
The week has been filled with disappointment on the field (losing the opener at home to a beatable Indiana team) and near tragedy off of it with two players being shot Thursday afternoon. One has to wonder how head coach Butch Davis will keep his team focused on the task at hand against a conference foe that was embarrassed in their opener against a team playing their first FBS game.
Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats
The law of averages says that the men from Kentucky have to win a game in this series at some time – after all, Florida has won the last 31 straight games played between the programs in what is currently the longest active streak. The Gators will get their first defensive test of the season as they continue to polish the new offensive scheme under head coach Dan Mullen.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Samford Bulldogs
Local
The honeymoon is close to being over in Tallahassee for new head coach Willie Taggart, as the Seminoles were embarrassed in their season opener at home against Virginia Tech. There is little doubt that FSU should come out with a victory over their FCS foe this week, so those in garnet and gold can back down from the ledge by Saturday night.
Other State Games
The UCF Knights will make their 2018 home debut when they host South Carolina State while the USF Bulls will host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. FAU, who was blown out by Oklahoma in their opener, returns home as the Owls take on Air Force. The FAMU Rattlers hit the road to face Troy while Bethune-Cookman hosts Virginia University of Lynchburg.
In the pro game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open on the road against NFC South rivals, the New Orleans Saints – while the Jacksonville Jaguars also open away from home when they face the New York Giants.
