2010 Florida State Seminoles Football: Florida State vs Florida

Rival: noun. a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor. (from dictionary.com)

To call the University of Florida and Florida State University "rivals" is putting the mutual feelings mildly. The rivalry extends beyond one game a year into all other sporting events, college activities, high school recruiting, and even into the Florida legislature. For years, Florida graduates in legislature have sought to extend special benefits to their alma mater, yet Florida State alums (most notably former Governor Charlie Crist) have blocked such legislation. This rivalry is more intense than most rivalries being played around college football this weekend.

Make no mistake—this game means much more than another win or loss. In fact, roughly 100 high school recruits from the talent-rich state of Florida will be in Tallahassee for the game, and many of them will decide their collegiate choice on the atmosphere and outcome of this game. If Fisher wants to improve his already top-five recruiting class in 2011 (and lay a strong foundation for the next few years), the Seminoles need to come away with a convincing victory on Saturday.

The overall record between the two teams stands at 33-19-2 with Florida holding the commanding lead. In fact, Florida has won the past six matchups and has been atop the "Big Three" in Florida (Florida, Florida State, Miami) for a number of years. But Florida State's resurgent team looks to end that streak this weekend at Doak Campbell Stadium.

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Florida State enters this weekend with an 8-3 overall record (6-2 conference) and Florida enters with a 7-4 record (4-4 conference). Both teams are in a "rebuilding" year, the difference being that Florida is moving down the rankings while FSU is moving up. Here's where they both rank nationally compared to each other:

Passing Yards/Game    Points Scored
FSU: 64th (225.4)    FSU : 37th (31.7)
UF: 73rd (215.0)     UF : 43rd (31.4)

Rushing Yards/Game    Points Allowed
FSU: 33rd (183.4) FSU : 15th (18.8)
UF: 48th (168.4) UF : 26th (20.2)

Total Yards/Game
FSU: 50th (396.0)
UF: 73rd (364.2)

Not only is this the biggest game of the year for both teams, but this is the last regular season game for FSU senior quarterback Christian Ponder. Affected by injury this year, Ponder will be sent off after an outstanding career at Florida State that saw him post the following stats over 4 years: 6,645 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions. He leaves FSU ranked No. 9 in career passing yards just behind Bill Cappleman and Charlie Ward (and with 77 passing yards this weekend, he will pass Cappleman). Ponder is also tied with Thad Busby at No. 6 in FSU history in total touchdowns with 46. It's interesting to note that Ponder reached his 46-touchdown total in just 23 games while it took Busby 34 games to amass 46 touchdowns, and Ponder still has at least two more games to add to his total.

Overall, the game on Saturday looks to be a heated battle between two in-state rivals wanting bragging rights. Florida has long dominated the Seminoles, yet under Jimbo Fisher, the Noles look to end the Gators' winning streak. Also, note that no Florida State head coach has beaten the Gators in his first attempt. Can Fisher make history? Will the Noles defeat both Miami and Florida in Fisher's first year? One more game has yet to be played at Doak Campbell Stadium this season and it could be Fisher's biggest test yet.

Florida State Seminoles vs Florida Gators Football Preview