8 top 25 games played so far this weekend and no upsets yet. I always get superstitious when that starts happening….

I am not impressed with either team. They both should be left out of the playoffs.

1. UGA
2. FSU
3. Texas
4. Alabama

Don't love a night game down there but looking forward to another rivalry game.
Who is going? And what's your routine?

FSU sports information:

The Florida State Volleyball team (22-8, 15-2) looks to extend their seven-match win streak on Saturday at home when they face off against Notre Dame (11-14, 5-12) at 2 p.m. FSU defeated Notre Dame 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) in their last match on Oct. 29. The Noles lead the series 14-4.

Florida State is on fire as of late, moving up to No. 23 in this week’s poll. They are tied for first in the ACC with a 15-2 conference record. On Saturday, FSU could claim a share of the ACC Volleyball Championship with a win, if Pittsburgh defeats Syracuse on Friday. If Pittsburgh loses and FSU wins, Florida State will be crowned outright ACC Champions.

As the team continues to heat up, they climb the statistical standings. FSU ranks seventh nationally and second in the ACC with a .298 hitting percentage. The Noles rank in the top five in the ACC in team kills (first, 1,497), team assists (first, 1,353), team total blocks (third, 258.5), team digs (fourth, 1,486), team total attacks (fourth, 3,595), kills per set (fifth, 13.49), and blocks per set (fifth, 2.33).

Khori Louis ranks fourth nationally and first in the ACC with a .445 hitting percentage. Fellow middle blocker, Kiari Robey, ranks eighth in the ACC with a .389 hitting percentage, while her 1.27 blocks per set ranks fourth in the ACC. Audrey Koenig’s 3.44 kills per set ranks seventh in the ACC.

Saturday’s match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Live Stats can be followed on the FSU Volleyball Website.

On Sunday at 6 p.m. ESPN will broadcast the NCAA D1 Volleyball Tournament selection show.

Wasn't sure where to put this considering the new consolidation of forums, but wanted to say thanks to @JerryKutz
, @Bob Ferrante and crew for the great Women's soccer coverage for the whole season. They are a championship team and deserve the recognition and I love to follow them. You fellers did a fine job of following them ladies .

Love the Lady Noles! ⚽🏆

Mike Norvell was just getting warmed up, a few hundred words into his opening statement after Florida State’s 58-13 win over North Alabama. He used some familiar thoughts, as the Seminoles “faced adversity.” But then he gets to how FSU won and it “wasn’t the cleanest game.”

“We had too many drops, too many missed opportunities,” Norvell said. “I thought Tate (Rodemaker) did a great job coming in, other than a few mistakes here and there. Was really, really good tonight.”

And then, five or so minutes later, Norvell answered a question about Rodemaker and again the mistakes lingered in coach’s mind.

“We've got to do a better job at helping him out,” Norvell said. “I think we had too many dropped balls. He threw a couple of unbelievable passes. We need to support him the best way that we can, but he needs to just go be himself. If he does that, I have a lot of confidence in how he'll play and obviously how guys around him will be there for him in those moments.”

FSU sports information:

Kiki Iriafen had 30 points and 17 rebounds, and No. 4 Stanford beat No. 13 Florida State 100-88 on Friday night in the championship game of the Ball Dawgs Classic.

Stanford (6-0) overcame an early seven-point deficit thanks to defensive adjustments against the up-tempo Seminoles and outscored Florida State 72-54 over the final three quarters.

Ta’Niya Latson led Florida State (5-1) with 23 points. O’Mariah Gordon scored 19 points, Sara Bejedi added 13, Alexis Tucker 12 and Makayla Timpson 10.

The Cardinal opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run, including a pair of 3-pointers out of halftime.

Iriafen scored 12 of her points in the third, while Brink facilitated things at both ends of the floor with five rebounds and three blocked shots.

“We got tired. We couldn’t defend them,” Florida State coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “We were outmatched in the paint, we’re undersized and it takes a lot of energy. It was a track meet. We came out shooting well and then we weren’t able to get stops and get into our rhythm and we stopped hitting shots, got tired a little bit.”

Florida State hit 15 of 28 (53.6%) from the floor in the opening quarter, getting 10 points from Latson and opening a 34-28 lead.

Why would Smith visit Florida vs FSU rather than going to OSU versus Michigan?

I'm sure most people will choose the Ward to Dunn pass in 1993 and I'd have to say that's one for the ages.
One I have read about but didn't witness was the first win in 1964.
I've read that the UF team arrived by train. There used to be a rail spur that came up where stadium drive is now to almost Pensacola street.
The UF football team wore shirts that said Go for Seven, a reference to their unbeaten streak (series began in 1958) and Never FSU Never. FSU won that game which is a reminder to never say never.
Oh, Spurrier was the quarterback so he never won in Doak as either a coach or a player.
Wish I'd seen that one.

Got a nice plate of leftovers and currently swapping between Oklahoma vs. TCU and Miami vs. BC. Take a break for the NFL game and then try and watch the Oregon v. Oregon State game later tonight.

The Osceola takes a closer look at the 2023 version of the Florida Gators as FSU gets ready to head to Gainesville to try to secure a perfect regular season.

Behind three goals in six minutes of game time, FSU soccer beat Pitt 3-0 Friday night to clinch its fourth straight College Cup appearance.

Me again, always trying to find the bright side of things.

Obviously the loss of JT just can't be glossed over. He was more than a QB, he was a leader and a spark when needed.

But. . . those traits are not totally lost. JT is still there to support the team, and playing for him may even ignite something we have not seen yet out of many of these players so far this season.

Several have complained many times about JT not spreading the ball around enough to the slot receivers, maybe Tate will utilize everybody. Throwing with more velocity to the flats, hitting quick slants, pushing the ball down field. . .if Tate hits some quick passes, it may be just what the doctor ordered for this running game.

Tate has a big and accurate arm, this offense may run very smoothly. I think we were all expecting JT's mobility to help us late in the season, and it very well might have, but to this point it was a minimal part of the offense.

So, while the situation is not ideal as we are losing tons of experience and ability, it's not dire either because we are gaining some traits that we did not have before.

I think this team will be prepared, they will be determined, and they will be motivated in a way we have not seen yet with this adversity.


Lets go Noles!!

The Athletic's columnist David Ubben made a precedented case for Florida State to be in the College Football Playoff, citing a similar situation 10 years ago when Ohio State quarterback JT Barnett was carted off the field with a season ending leg injury and replaced by a little-known backup Cardell Stewart.

"There is clear precedent for how to handle Florida State after starting quarterback Jordan Travis left Saturday’s win against North Alabama on a cart with his left leg wrapped in an air cast."

"As soon as it happened, the picture of (JT Barnett's) team as a legitimate national title contender faded from view. It ignited debate: Exclude them from the College Football Playoff. Let the teams still at full strength battle it out. Six weeks later, his team was crowned national champion. His backup had hardly played; people knew little to nothing about him."

The view has faded for FSU as well. "Nobody thinks Florida State can compete in the Playoff anymore. But that doesn’t mean it can’t."

Ubben made it clear the committee is well within its protocol if it chooses to exclude an undefeated Florida State from the Playoff but makes the case against it.

"When ranking teams, committee members may consider 'relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.' Travis’ injury obviously qualifies. But the sport has seen this exact scenario play out before. Give Florida State a chance."

But Jones was surrounded by NFL talent just as Rodemaker, Ubben argues, with Coleman and Walker and Bell and Benson, not to mention Verse.

Ohio State had one game remaining to build its case back then. FSU has two games to build their case, including against Florida and what is likely to be a top 10 Louisville team. Ohio State made the most of their opportunity, racing to a 38-0 halftime lead on the way to a 59-0 victory.

Now its Florida State's turn to makes its case.

In my opinion, now is not the time to worry about the committee, or ESPN politics, or getting screwed at the end of the day. Now is the time to focus on controlling what you can control: continue to build your case by beating the Gators, and then the Cardinals.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays as it is a day we stop and count our blessings. I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for reading the content our Osceola staff works so hard to produce for you. I want to thank you for subscribing as I can't make payroll without each and every one of you subscribing to the site.

I also want to thank you for sharing your thoughts on the message boards. I really enjoy reading your takes, I really do. It's pretty awesome to have a place to go to have discource with passionate people about each of our favorite teams and to enjoy the diversity of viewpoints, many of which are thought provoking. I also want to thank you for your civility. The past year and a half haven't been near as contentous as I'd been lead to believe. I want to thank each of our moderators for what they do.

I am also very thankful for the state of the athletics program currently with both football and soccer in the hunt for the Final Four. I've covered and/or worked within this program going on 42 years so I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly and know when to be thankful. I hope you all enjoy similar feelings.

I am thankful for the culture Mike Norvell has built in his football program, a culture I believe fits the ideals of our fan base. As you've noticed, his program is filled with quality people who represent FSU well on the field, in the classroom and community. Norvell grants us access to his program, which is rare nowadays in college athletics, because he wants us to introduce his players to you, and to share their stories, through videos and interviews so you can take pride in the people who represent your program. I am thankful he allows us to be the conduit between his program and you, his most loyal supporters.

And I'm thankful to a staff of writers who love what they do, while burning the midnight oil. Thanks to Bob Ferrante, our managing editor, Curt Weiler our senior writer, Pat Burnham who covers recruiting and provides football analysis and Seminole Sidelines, Charles Fishbein for Fishbits and analysis, our newest addition for recruiting Nick Carlisle, Ariya Massoudi for his contribution on women's athletics and last but not least, Mark Salva who brings a perspective and insight only years as an FSU player and assistant coach can provide. I'm thankful each of those guys care as much as they do about trying to remain objective in order to do the most honest job they can for you.

And I'll be especially thankful for a plate full of gator tail this weekend.

Thank you!
Jerry

Blessings all around if you choose to recognize them!

Here’s one that happened to me yesterday

I was working in Dunnellon and started to head south for Thanksgiving

My sister who lives in Ocala was on me to stop by

So I drove 20 plus miles north to visit, she wasn’t there

So I head to I75 which was another 20 miles

Anyways as I get on I75 my brakes start locking up on front end, was super hot and smoking

I found a repair shop open(it was 3:30) but couldn’t get repaired till Friday

I called enterprise and they had zero vehicles to rent

As I was on phone the rep says hold on we just had a cancellation, so I took it

Then headed south

As I look back a day when I was in a pity party, I was asking what did I really have to be thankful for?

God , responded

Had I not gone out of the way to see sister I would have stuck on side of road on the turnpike, or possibly been in an accident

He got me safely to a repair shop, provided a vehicle so I can be with family today, and got me out of my pity party!

I have a lot to be Thankful for and I hope you all do too no matter what your situation is, I pray you have a Blessed day!!

And for you ladies remember “ sweet to the lips is bad for the hips”!

Take care y’all!

We talked to Tate Rodemaker today ahead of his second career start Saturday at Florida. Here's a story on how his extensive in-game experience since his first career start in 2020 has him feeling much better prepared for this week's start in Gainesville.

Paul Finebaum stated on First Take that FSU should be left out of the CFP even if we win against UL and UF. He says Alabama would win by 40 and compared this team to TCU. This knucklehead is spiking his kool-aid as he spoke these words as a matter of fact as though there nothing to play since JT got hurt. It's time we call this never play a down bum out who really disrespecting this P5 program that's back were where we belong. Go Noles

He was Smooth out there even though Atkins says his enzone dance was stiff!!
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We just wrapped at the final practice availability of Florida week. Here are today's updates:

• Overall, it was another solid day from Tate Rodemaker entering his start this weekend at UF. Wednesday is always the situational work day and Rodemaker was handed a tough challenge taking over at the 37 with 41 seconds left and crowd noise absolutely blaring inside the indoor practice facility. He picked up one first down on a short pass to Johnny Wilson and then got into field goal range with one second left (clutch spike) after scrambling out of the pocket to convert a second and 15 with his legs. The 53-yard field goal was no good and although it wasn't the cleanest drive, it was at least marginally effective. Rodemaker also again looked to be in total command of the offense during the extensive scout-team work to close out the day. He looked comfortable going through his progression, made the correct decisions at a high rate and spread the ball around to just about all of his playmakers. It wasn't a perfect day for Rodemaker in any sense of the word, but it was definitely another encouraging day of work for him entering the huge showdown this weekend.
• Rodemaker was certainly assisted by a number of high-level plays from his receiving targets. Ja'Khi Douglas had what Mike Norvell called one of his best practices of the season, catching a long touchdown during scout team and making a few more tough catches as well. Vandrevius Jacobs also had a pair of touchdown catches in 1-on-1s, one a long touchdown and the other on the goal line. Keon Coleman, Wiilson, Bell, Morlock and the running backs all made the most of their opportunities as well. After the FSU skill-position players let down Rodemaker at times Saturday, they have played at a high level this week in practice to aid him.
• On the other side of the ball, a few freshman defensive backs played at a high level during 1-on-1s Wednesday. Conrad Hussey and Ja'Bril Rawls had impressive pass breakups in quick succession in the open-field portion. Then Hussey had another PBU in the end zone and Rawls had a ridiculous one-handed interception in coverage in the end zone.
• While the Jordan Travis news is obviously tough, FSU may be trending in the right direction for quite a few other questionable players entering Saturday's game. Kalen DeLoach, Maurice Smith, Renardo Green, Robert Scott and Darion Williamson all participated in Wednesday's practice. Any combination of these players being available would certainly be a boost for the Seminoles entering that hostile atmosphere in Gainesville.

Coach Mike Norvell said he is “hopeful” that linebacker Kalen DeLoach will be available for Florida State’s game at Florida on Saturday.

DeLoach leads FSU in tackles (59) and sacks (seven). He dressed out but did not play in the Seminoles’ game against North Alabama on Saturday.

“Definitely very hopeful with Kalen,” Norvell said. “I do expect him to be ready, but we'll see where that goes throughout the course of this week.”

Center Maurice Smith (23 snaps) and cornerback Renardo Green (35 snaps) left the game with an injury, and Norvell sounded encouraged about their progress.

“Same with Renardo and Maurice,” Norvell said. “Felt good about where we were on Sunday. And as we get closer to kickoff, we'll see what that looks like.”

Green has 39 tackles this fall. Smith has started nine games at center in 2023.

After three straight weeks at No. 4, FSU fell to fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings in Tuesday night's update.