Three Games to Watch During Florida's Bye Week
Following a comeback victory over South Carolina on the road in Week 7, the Florida Gators are observing the bye week in Week 8 prior to their annual clash with the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Fla., on Oct. 28.
When they return to the gridiron, Billy Napier and Co. will look to feed off the momentum of their 5-2 start to take on the daunting second half of the season stretch.
To pass the time until UF is back in action, All Gators scoured the Week 8 slate of contests to pin down three matchups of interest for Florida fans to monitor, including two games featuring upcoming opponents.
Mississippi State @ Arkansas (Noon ET, ESPN)
A good old-fashioned conference barnburner of SEC West bottomfeeders is brewing, and the Gators have an interest in the host squad.
While the Razorbacks currently sit at 2-5 on the season, with their lone wins coming against Western Carolina and Kent State, they took Alabama to the wire in Tuscaloosa a week ago and have played better than their record indicates at times throughout the 2023 campaign.
They've been without starting running back Raheim Sanders for four out of seven weeks, which has hampered their offensive production. It's resulted in a rather one-dimensional offensive approach in which veteran quarterback KJ Jefferson has shouldered an immense load.
Jefferson has accounted for 1,450 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions on 66% completion on the year. He's added 162 yards and one score on 96 rushing attempts to account for 71.7% of the unit's production in an attempt to keep the offense afloat amid a 2.9 yards per carry from the ground attack.
As a result, the Hogs are 1-3 without one of the SEC's top ball carriers, Sanders, in the fold.
He'll be out again in Week 8.
However, Arkansas is at home for the first time since Sept. 16. It gets a favorable matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs with the chance to right the ship prior to the Razorbacks bye week.
It may not be the cleanest football you'll watch this weekend, but it gives Florida fans a glimpse at what the Gators will be up against as they play host to the Hogs in front of a sold-out crowd in The Swamp in Week 10.
South Carolina @ No. 20 Missouri (3:30 p.m. ET, SECN)
Florida's most recent opponent is set to hit the road to take on the penultimate opponent on the Gators' 2023 schedule.
Shane Beamer's South Carolina Gamecocks hope to maintain the offensive success it saw a week ago in the loss to Florida to down an overachieving Missouri Tigers team in Columbia, Missouri.
But, with the way Eli Drinkwitz's team is rolling, that's easier said than done.
The 6-1 Tigers have surpassed expectations halfway through their 2023 campaign, producing wins via a highly productive offense with an assortment of weapons for quarterback Brady Cook to utilize through the air, with sophomore pass-catcher Luther Burden sitting atop the pack as a game-changing target.
Freshly removed from a statement win over the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field, Missouri is positioning itself in the conversation for the SEC East to set up essential late-season matchups with Georgia on Nov. 4, Tennessee on Nov. 11 and Florida on Nov. 18.
The Gamecocks, on the other hand, are looking to retake control of their season after a disappointing 2-4 start. But, doing so would entail a midseason epiphany defensively, which is far-fetched for an SEC-worst unit against a top-20 passing attack.
Missouri is more than a touchdown favorite in the Week 8 bout between SEC east foes as a result.
Perhaps the contest can still serve as a litmus test to analyze how good Mizzou is compared to Florida and set the stage for the Gators' trip to Columbia in late November.
No. 7 Penn State @ No. 3 Ohio State (Noon ET, FOX)
Unlike the other two games, this one has nothing to do with the University of Florida football program.
But, out of appreciation for college football, it would be remiss to ignore the potential playoff implications in this week's lone battle between two top-ten teams in Columbus, Ohio, especially with the matchup being another chapter in a storied rivalry of late.
It's a battle between two elite-tier defenses in college football, with Penn State and Ohio State ranking No. 1 and No. 7 in total defense through seven weeks for the 2023 campaign, respectively.
The Buckeyes have retooled themselves following the loss of CJ Stroud to the NFL, appointing quarterback Kyle McCord to lead an uber-talented offense lined with skill players Marvin Harrsion Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Brandon Innis and others.
While the immense production and explosion synonymous with the OSU attack in years past has dwindled relative to expectations for the Big Ten powerhouse, albeit still accounting for 443 yards (No. 34) and 36 points (No. 21) per game, the Jim Knowles' defense has picked up the slack to perform at an uncharacteristically dominant clip for the program in the defensive coordinator's second year.
Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions have surged to No. 7 in the latest AP Poll behind the nation's best defense and quarterback Drew Allar.
High-level complementary football is being played in Happy Valley.
Allar, a sophomore pocket passer from Medina, Ohio, has proven efficient in his first year as a starter to account for 1,254 yards and 12 touchdowns without an interception, a trend he'll look to maintain in a hostile environment Saturday. He's led his unit to boast the No. 5 scoring offense, supplementing the nation's-best defensive efforts allowing just 193.7 yards per game, the only team under 200 yards per game this season.
Ultimately, Penn State is looking to cement itself as the biggest threat to dethrone the reigning Big Ten champions in Michigan by first taking down Ohio State on the road while the Buckeyes attempt to remain at the top of the mountain.
So, while keeping one eye on the other noon game listed above, treat yourself to an expectedly close competition between Ryan Day's Buckeyes and James Frankin's Nittany Lions.
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