Opposing Views: Jim McElwain Pays First Visit to Tallahassee

The championships obviously speak for themselves, but a big reason for Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher’s success in six years as the top guy in Tallahassee has been having a stranglehold on state supremacy.

When he took over in 2010, Florida State had lost six straight to rival Florida. Under Fisher, the Seminoles have gone 5-1 against the Gators and 6-0 against Miami. While the Hurricanes are hoping for a turnaround under new head coach Mark Richt, Florida is looking to build on a 10-win season and an SEC East title in the second year under Jim McElwain.

“While some fans may tell you that Florida should be favorites in the SEC East in 2016, that’s not realistic,” said Antwan Staley, who covers Florida for Athlon Sports. “Florida has questions to address on both sides of the ball including at quarterback, which has seemed to be a constant theme in Gainesville since Tim Tebow left after the 2009 season. While I don’t see them finishing above Tennessee in the SEC East,the Gators should be good enough to win around eight or possibly nine games this season. That may be disappointing to some, but head coach Jim McElwain has the Gators competing in the SEC, something previous head coach Will Muschamp failed to do.”

In McElwain’s first year in the rivalry, his team fell to FSU at home by a score of 27-2. This year, the Nov. 26 contest shifts to Tallahassee, where the Seminoles have won 21 straight games entering the season. The last loss however, came against Florida to conclude the 2012 regular season.

“Barring something unforeseen, Florida State should be heavy favorites in this year’s game,” Staley said. “The Seminoles could be undefeated when they play the Gators. When Will Muschamp defeated the Seminoles in 2012, the Gators were 11-2 and realistically had a shot at the national championship if it wasn’t for the endless amounts of turnovers in their loss against Georgia that season. This year’s Gators team is far from being a national championship contender. So it is hard to imagine that the Gators can go into Doak Campbell and get a victory, but you never know with rivalry games.”

As was the case last season, Staley sees Florida having to rely heavily on a talented defense that includes defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, linebacker Jarrad Davis and All-American cornerback Jalen Tabor. Staley said there’s a lot to like about some of the skill players on offense, particularly in the backfield for Florida, but there are still questions at quarterback with transfer Luke Del Rio projected to be the starter and no proven receiver outside the embattled Antonio Callaway.

“Talent wise, Florida isn’t too far away from being on Florida State’s level,” Staley said. “What makes Florida State great is the great depth they have at every position. The Seminoles have finished with a top five recruiting classes each of the last six seasons. During that same span, the Gators had just two recruiting classes in the top 10.”

Overall, Staley said Florida should be happy with the direction that McElwain has the program moving in and expects to see the FSU-Florida rivalry become meaningful on the national front. Last season’s match-up marked just the third time in 10 years that both teams entered the contest ranked.

“I’m not sure that Florida and Florida State could ever return to the heights of the rivalry during the (Bobby) Bowden/(Steve) Spurrier years,” he said. “Those teams were stacked and the state of college football has changed so much since then. I do believe Florida and Florida State can become one of the best rivalries in college football again. McElwain is doing a good job recruiting and there’s no reason to believe that Florida State is going away anytime soon.”