As the holiday season approaches, the South Florida football fan has just one wish in mind: for things to go back to the way they were a few weeks ago when the Miami Dolphins were actually winning football games.
After a five-game win streak that had fans speaking those two words for the first time in decades (Super Bowl), the Dolphins have dropped their last two games and are staring down the barrel of what could be the final nail in the coffin of hopes they had of winning the AFC East.
Meanwhile, the college football bowl season gets underway with one of what used to be the state’s Big Three programs hoping to avoid something that has happened just twice previously in the last eight decades.
Can the Fins remember what it’s like to win a football game and guarantee a third straight winning regular season? Can the Florida Gators do something that hasn’t taken place since they last time the team played a game in Miami-Dade County?
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We break down all the games with our NBC 6 not-so-scientific system.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (Saturday)
Sports
The Fins find themselves in quite the interesting spot. After being 8-3 and holding on to first place in the AFC East, Miami has lost its last two games and now is looking up at a Bills team who could get one game closer to clinching the division with a win this week.
If the Dolphins want to get an upset win on the road, they are going to need much better play from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after his pathetic showing last week against the Chargers. They may also need a dome to suddenly come up over Buffalo’s stadium with forecasts calling for snow during the game.
Florida Gators vs. Oregon State Beavers (Saturday)
For the first time, the orange and blue will be playing in Sin City. For the first time, the orange and blue will be playing the Beavers in a football game. With a loss, the orange and blue will also do something that hasn’t happened since 1978 and 1979: have back-to-back losing seasons.
Other State Games
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers return home for an important showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals while the Jacksonville Jaguars will also be at home when they take on the Dallas Cowboys.
