Truth or Fiction: Florida State’s loss will affect its recruiting ceiling
Rivals nationwide recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. is joined by nationwide recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, Marcus Benjamin of CanesCounty.com and Jason Higdon of 1stAndTenFlorida.com to deal with three subjects and decide whether or not they imagine every assertion is FACT or FICTION.
1. Florida State’s loss to Georgia Tech will affect its recruiting ceiling for the 2025 class.
Spiegelman: FICTION. Yearly we see a top-25 staff fall within the opener, solely to appropriate the course in a while in the course of the season. That’s actually the case this 12 months with Mike Norvell and the Seminoles, who’ve a ton of items with which to work. The workers already has a stellar class available and we all know that recruits don’t make selections primarily based off one recreation – irrespective of how a lot anticipation and pleasure there was main into it. If the opening week is an indicator for the remainder of the 12 months, then my stance might change. Proper now I nonetheless assume Norvell and Florida State are in line to maintain recruiting on the excessive clip we’re used to.
Garcia: FACT. Notion has been one among Florida State’s finest weapons on the recruiting path, particularly relative to in-state rivals Florida and Miami. On the sphere, a minimum of, the Seminoles had been a notch or two above the others inside state traces coming off of a banner 2023 season. Now this Georgia Tech loss pairs with the bowl embarrassment to construct into the material of that key work – notion – that carries on the recruiting path.
The way in which by which the Seminoles fell might turn into its personal concern. They scored seven factors within the second half, blew a lead and trotted out an offense that might not muster 300 yards in opposition to what most would contemplate an inferior opponent from a expertise perspective.
With eyeballs all around the model between rivals because the season will get going, it could shock if it did not play a component in how seniors view Florida State’s product.
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2. The Miami-Florida recreation is extra vital for the Hurricanes than the Gators.
Benjamin: FACT. Any season opener is important for any staff. Beginning the season off on the precise foot can decide the result for a whole season, and no recreation maybe looms bigger as Miami vs. Florida to open the 2024 season. The groups desperately want a win, as each ended the season with thuds: Miami misplaced to Rutgers within the Pinstripe Bowl, and Florida misplaced to its rival, Florida State.
For Florida, the sport is large as a result of a loss would finish a 33-0 home-opener win streak and set Billy Napier‘s scorching seat ablaze. Nevertheless, the unranked Gators are anticipated to make little noise in a crowded SEC. However for Miami, it means a bit extra. The hype practice for Miami is as giant as two locomotives, and in response to most sportsbooks, the expectation is that the Hurricanes will win 9 video games. We have seen this program wither after an enormous loss, and lots of followers may even name the season a failure if the Canes win eight video games, making this primary recreation essential to this system’s trajectory.
Miami has the expertise to win each recreation on its schedule, but when it loses recreation one to the rival Gators, many will really feel like Miami is identical because the Hurricanes of latest years, and is much from again.
Garcia: FACT. I would level to Florida’s tilt with UCF, a couple of weeks down the street, as extra of a must-win recreation for Billy Napier and firm than the opener in opposition to a Miami staff that rapidly seems poised to make a run within the ACC.
For The U, the notion is that there was expertise however not essentially the complete image, so the chance to go on the street within the SEC in opposition to a rival presents as a notion changer multi function shot. After all there will probably be scores of prime recruits in attendance and with the way in which fellow in-state rivals Florida State opened the season, the door for claiming the highest spot inside the Sunshine State has been kicked huge open.
This recreation appears like will probably be the table-setter for all issues Miami this fall, the place a win units this system towards its finest look beneath Mario Cristobal and a loss makes many marvel if elite recruiting does not matter if the on-field outcomes keep the identical.
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3. The Miami-Florida recreation is extra essential for the Gators than the Hurricanes.
Higdon: FICTION. If you happen to ask both the fan base, workers or gamers, everyone knows the reply to this query. Either side will let you know the sport is extra important for his or her staff. Miami is on the street and a 2.5- to 3-point favourite, relying on the place you look. The projected over/beneath win whole for the Hurricanes is 9.5 video games.
Florida is at residence enjoying within the Swamp and a 2.5- to 3-point underdog, relying on the place you look. The Gators’ projected over/beneath win whole is from 4.5 to five.5 video games.
The specialists imagine Miami is a fairly good soccer staff, however wants extra religion within the Gators in 2024. The Hurricanes are anticipated to win by Las Vegas. Miami can be pre-season No. 19, whereas the Gators are exterior the highest 25 heading into the weekend.
If one staff is anticipated to win, the sport is extra important for that facet, so I’m going with fiction. Relying in your facet, this recreation means extra; there is no such thing as a denying that easy reality.
Garcia: FICTION. I assume we type of gave it away earlier, however Florida has some flexibility within the win-loss column so far as the Napier scorching seat goes. That schedule is arguably the hardest within the nation, so an early journey will not sound the alarms in Gainesville, although a stumble in opposition to UCF a couple of weeks later completely will. Florida goes to depend on younger expertise and will be the inferior staff on paper, too, which once more would create some empathy relative to program notion or stated scorching seat. It might additionally enable for extra danger to be taken by Napier and firm in play-calling, scheming and extra. Both method, the affect of this recreation will probably be felt all through the Sunshine State and past.
