College GameDay is in South Bend. The No. 1 team in the country is in town. And Miami and Notre Dame (No. 4 in the AP poll, No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings) are renewing one of college football’s most heated rivalries under the lights Saturday night (7:30 p.m. Eastern time, NBC).
Miami enters the game undefeated and atop the polls for the third straight week. Quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney have powered the offense. Mensah has thrown 25 touchdowns and just one interception, while Toney is second in the nation with 73 receptions and 13 touchdowns. Both were considered among the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy, but Toney will miss Saturday’s game after suffering a high ankle sprain in practice that requires surgery.
Notre Dame (7-1) could very well be undefeated as well. A controversial ending in the team’s game at BYU included a clock error, later acknowledged by the Big 12, which cost the Irish a chance at one more play from the 8-yard line. Instead, they lost 28-24.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is also among the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. A victory over the Hurricanes would catapult his candidacy with three more games remaining in the regular season.
If the Hurricanes win in South Bend, it would mark the third straight victory over Notre Dame and further cement Miami as the team to beat in college football this season.
Other games this weekend involving teams from the state of Florida:
— FSU at Boston College, noon EST, ACC Network. After the firing of Mike Norvell, Rick Stockstill takes over as FSU’s interim head coach. The Seminoles (3-5, 1-4 ACC) will be without top receiver Duce Robinson (torn ACL) and top running back Ousmane Kromah (broken foot and ankle). The Noles have not won a true road game since November 2023.
— UCF at Kansas, 3:45 p.m. EST, ESPN2. Both teams have questions at quarterback because of injuries. UCF starter Keyone Jenkins is out with an ankle injury, so Alonza Barnett III could return from a hamstring injury to play. The Jayhawks’ Isaiah Marshall is questionable with a lower-leg injury. The Knights (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) have games against Arizona State, Iowa State and Colorado remaining on the schedule. The Jayhawks (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) have won both meetings between the two programs, including a 27-20 win in Orlando last season.
— Missouri State at FIU, 4 p.m. EST, ESPN+. It’s homecoming at FIU for the Panthers (3-5, 1-3 Conference USA), who are coming off a 49-10 loss at Liberty last Saturday. Quarterback JJ Kohl has thrown for 1,801 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Nearly a third of his passing yards have come from completions to wide receiver Maguire Anderson. Missouri State (3-5, 2-2 Conference USA) has not won a road game this season.
— Oklahoma at No. 25 Florida, 7:45 p.m. EST, SEC Network. The Sooners make the first trip to the Swamp in program history as the two squads meet for the first time as SEC rivals. The Gators (5-3, 3-3 SEC) turn to quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. after benching Aaron Philo. Oklahoma (4-4, 2-3 SEC) fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and has former NFL tight end Jason Witten taking over play-calling duties.
