Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Tyler Baron (9) sacks Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) during the season opener at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 31, 2024 against the University of Miami Hurricanes in the second half. Miami defeated the Gators 41-17. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

ESPN Includes Two FSU Football Rivals In 'Way-Too-Early' 2025 Top-25 Rankings

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Jackson Bakich | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 2:57 PM ET

Matt Schlabach, a senior college football writer for ESPN has released his "Way-Too-Early" rankings for the 2025 season following Ohio State's victory over Notre Dame in last night's championship matchup. Florida State does not appear in this year's edition of the rankings, but two of their rivals are listed: Florida and Miami.

Despite a slow start, Florida was one of, if not the hottest teams in the Southeastern Conference in the final portion of the season. The Gators finished with four straight wins, including two ranked wins over Ole Miss and LSU, and capped off the regular season with a 31-11 victory over the Seminoles in Tallahassee. They finished with an 8-5 record but with as much optimism for 2025 as anybody.

With true freshman star quarterback DJ Lagway returning to the Swamp for his second year, a solid receiving corps, and a program trending in the right direction, the Gators come in at No. 18 on Schlabach's list.

As for the Miami Hurricanes, they had a polar opposite finish to their season compared to UF. The Hurricanes lost three of their last four games and barely missed out on the College Football Playoff. Losses to the feisty squads of Georgia Tech and Syracuse caused the 'Canes to fail to qualify for the ACC Championship Game despite being 9-0 at one point during the season. They ended the year 10-3 with a loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Yes, the Miami Hurricanes are a question mark. With NFL-bound QB Cam Ward leading the Hurricanes, the offense was perhaps the best in the country. However, the question mark all comes back to their new QB Carson Beck. We've seen Beck have some success with some great talent around him at Georgia. If the 'Canes produce a similar defense to last season's, can Beck drag Miami to 10 wins like Cam Ward did week in and week out? What kind of talent will UM put around him? They come in at No. 23 on Schlabach's list.

Other opponents on FSU's 2025 schedule included in the rankings were Clemson (No. 7) and Alabama (No. 12),

For Schlabach's rankings and analysis, you can find them here.