I caught up with Louisville Rivals publisher Ty Spalding yesterday to ask him five questions about Jeff Brohm’s remarkable first season, what has led to the Cardinals’ success and more.

per ESPN

Sources: Texas A&M, Elko agree on deal to make him new coach

FSU sports information:

The No. 15 Florida State Women’s Basketball Team (5-2) fell to Arkansas (7-1), 71-58, on Thursday night in the ACC/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

O’Mariah Gordon led the Seminoles with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the floor, also going 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Junior forward Makayla Timpson added 12 points and 12 rebounds in the loss as well as four blocked shots. It marks her fourth double-double of the season and the 17th of her career, moving into a tie for 11th place in FSU history.

Florida State held a 24-16 lead with 3:40 left before the half, but the Razorbacks went on an enormous run that swung the momentum of the game. Arkansas finished the second quarter on a 12-2 flurry that included a buzzer-beating 3-point field goal from Saylor Poffenbarger to hold a 28-26 lead at halftime.

Arkansas would out-score the Seminoles, 24-6, in a decisive third quarter. Poffenbarger added 13 points along with 23 rebounds to spark the Razorbacks.

FSU fought back in the fourth quarter by out-scoring Arkansas, 26-19, and got its deficit down to 12 with a layup and foul from Gordon with 5:38 left. But the Razorbacks proved to be too much in the end.

Ta’Niya Latson added 14 points and six rebounds along with five assists in the defeat. FSU out-rebounded Arkansas, 55-51, and recorded seven blocked shots in the contest.

FSU continues its homestand against Kent State on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Tucker Center. There will be a 1,000 Chick-Fil-A coupon giveaway for the Sunday matchup.

With a recruiting contact period beginning Friday, the ACC Championship Game Saturday and the transfer portal opening Monday, this is a very busy stretch for the FSU coaching staff. Mike Norvell says he's grateful to have such a challenging schedule this time of year.

Former FSU football player and track athlete Billy Allen (1981-84) lost his youngest son in a horrible car accident in Oklahoma a few days ago. Athletes Care Association Inc, a 501C3 which raises funds on behalf of Florida State’s former athletes, has created a a fund on behalf of Billy’s lost family member. Your condolences and contribution will be appreciated by this former Seminole great.

Billy Allen's Fundraiser - Athletes Care Association (flipcause.com)

Allen was a two-sport athlete, who was a member of the 1982 Metro Conference Championship 4x100 relay team as well as a football player who played offense from 1981 to 1983 and defense in 1984 in addition to being a prolific kick returner. He gained 781 yards on 29 kickoff returns including a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against LSU in 1981. Allen, who served in the United States Air Force before enrolling at FSU, amassed 1144 all purpose yards as will as 48 tackle, two sacks for minus 18 yards, one interception and two pass breakups.

Mike Norvell was named ACC Coach of the Year this afternoon, receiving 36 of the 64 votes. He's the first FSU coach to win the honor since Bobby Bowden in 1997.

I did not see it but did any FSU players hold up the “State Champs!” sign after the game at uf this past weekend?

FSU sports information:

The inaugural ACC/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge presented by Dixie Ultra tips off on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Tucker Center between No. 15 Florida State (5-1) and Arkansas (6-1). The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

The event is a Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game, where if you show a valid FSU staff ID you can receive two complimentary tickets.

Overall, there will be a combined 14 matchups in the challenge from Wednesday-Thursday featuring 11 Top 25 squads, including six from the ACC and five from the SEC.

Thursday’s matchup could be a fast one inside The Tuck. The Seminoles are 13th nationally averaging 88.0 points and play at a pace where each team averages 81.3 possessions per 40 minutes. The Razorbacks, which also plays their brand of positionless basketball, average 75.1 points and play at a pace where each team averages 76.5 possessions per 40 minutes.

Arkansas will be the third SEC opponent on FSU’s schedule this season, with the Seminoles owning a 2-0 mark against No. 11 Tennessee (92-91 on Nov. 9) and rival Florida (79-75 on Nov. 17). In the ACC, FSU is the only team to play four Power 5 schools so far (Tennessee, Florida, Northwestern, Stanford), although No. 5 NC State has played three Power 5 schools in addition to UConn.

Last week’s Feast Week included a 1-1 split against Northwestern (90-52) and No. 4 Stanford (88-100) at the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas. Junior guard O’Mariah Gordon led FSU averaging 16.5 points while shooting 44 percent overall (11-of-25) and 50 percent from 3 (5-of-10).

Sophomore guard Ta’Niya Latson’s 35 points on the road at Florida continues to be a season high for all ACC players. In that game, she delivered 17 of her 35 points in the fourth quarter, going 5-of-5 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Yet another dominant performance by the sophomore caught the attention of many on social media, including NBA superstar Kevin Durant.

Florida State is second in the ACC in scoring offense (88.0), 3-point field goal percentage (37.1%), assist/turnover ratio (1.29) and 3-point field goals made per game (8.7).

FSU’s opponents that it has played so far have a combined 19-8 record (.704) this season, highlighting the rigorous non-conference slate.

Makayla Timpson joins only Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley and Pitt’s Liatu King in being in the ACC’s Top 10 in blocked shots, field goal percentage AND rebounding.

With less than eight minutes left, the FSU men's basketball team led Georgia 61-44. The Bulldogs ended the game on a 24-5 run, handing the Seminoles an excruciating and inexcusable home loss.

FSU sports information:

FSU quarterback Jordan Travis is a finalist for the Manning Award, given to the nation's top quarterback.

Earlier this week, Travis was voted the ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year and was the All-ACC first-team quarterback. Travis was also named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award and Jason Witten Man of the Year as well as being included on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 10.

Travis was 207-of-324 passing for 2,756 yards and 20 touchdowns with only two interceptions while adding 176 yards and seven touchdowns on 73 rushing attempts. He is the only player in the ACC and one of three nationally with 20 passing touchdowns and two or fewer interceptions and leads the ACC in fewest interceptions thrown, the second-lowest total among quarterbacks nationally with at least 200 attempts, and ranks second in the conference in passing efficiency, yards per pass attempt and passing yards per game. He ranks third in the ACC in points responsibility per game, yards per completion, total offense per game and completion percentage.

He is Florida State's all-time leader in total offense and touchdowns responsible for, records he achieved earlier this year, and previously broke program records for quarterback rushing yards and quarterback rushing touchdowns. Travis broke FSU’s career touchdown responsibility record on his game-winning touchdown pass in overtime at Clemson and took over the program’s career total offense record on his go-ahead rushing touchdown in Florida State’s win against No. 16 Duke.

Travis, a redshirt senior from West Palm Beach, led the Seminoles to an undefeated 8-0 mark in ACC play, the program’s 10th unbeaten conference record and first since 2014, and was the quarterback of record for each of FSU’s first 11 wins in 2023. A three-time ACC Quarterback of the Week honoree, Travis began the season with a career-high four touchdown passes and a fifth touchdown on the ground in FSU's 45-24 win over No. 5 LSU. In the second half against the Tigers, Travis had an ESPN QBR of 99.9, the highest rating in a half by any quarterback nationally against a ranked opponent since Jameis Winston in 2013.

He is the only player in FSU history and the only active player nationally with at least seven rushing touchdowns in four straight seasons, and his 31 career rushing touchdowns are fourth on FSU’s career list. He also is tied with Winston for second in FSU history with 65 passing touchdowns and is the only player in program history ranked in the top-10 in career passing and rushing touchdowns. Travis also ranks second on FSU’s all-time career lists for passing yards and wins as a starting quarterback while standing third in completions and completion percentage.

Travis has been prolific at putting points on the scoreboard this season. He produced a program-record streak of 16 straight games accounting for multiple touchdowns and also tied his own school record with a streak of four consecutive games with at least one rushing and one passing touchdown. Travis also produced a streak of 22 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass, a streak that ended on Nov. 18 when he was injured in the first quarter.

Earlier this season, Travis produced a stretch of 184 consecutive passes without an interception, the fifth-longest in FSU history and 13th-longest in ACC history. He had an active streak of 126 passes without an interception at the time of his season-ending injury and is the only player in program history with two streaks of at least 120 passes without an interception in the same season. Adding a streak of 120 passes in 2021, he is the only player at Florida State with three different streaks of at least 120 passes without an interception in a career.

No. 4 Florida State faces No. 15 Louisville in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kickoff from Bank of America Stadium is set for 8 p.m. on ABC.

FSU sports information:

The Florida State women's soccer team (20-0-1) is looking to clinch their seventh berth to the National Championship Game as they take on Clemson (18-3-4) for the third time this season in the National Semifinal at the College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and can be seen live on ESPNU. Jenn Hildreth (Play by Play), Lori Lindsey (Color) and Marion Crowder (Sideline) will be on the call.

NCAA Tournament History

• Three National Championships
• 22-0-1 in the first round
• 21-2 in the second round
• 17-3-1 in the third round
• 12-4-2 in the quarterfinals
• 5-7-1 in the semifinals
• 3-3 in the finals
• 80-19-5 in the NCAA Tournament

Last Time Out
FSU scored three goals in just over eight minutes to pull away from Pitt to secure their fourth consecutive College Cup. FSU converted on penalty kicks from Taylor Huff and Leah Pais in the 63rd and 69th minutes. Onyi Echegini added the third goal at the start of the 70th minute to put the game away. FSU defeated the Panthers for the third time this season and improved to a perfect 14-0-0 all-time against the Panthers.

14 College Cups
FSU reached the NCAA Women's College Cup for the 14th time in school history. The 14 semifinal appearances are the second most in NCAA history, trailing only North Carolina (30).

A Home Away from Home
Florida State has made itself at home in Cary, N.C., over recent memory. FSU holds an 11-1-1 record in its last 13 games in Cary and holds a 20-7-5 record in Cary since 2010.

Dominance in the NCAA Tournament
The Seminoles have been nothing short but dominant so far in the NCAA Tournament. FSU has not allowed a goal in four games and is outscoring their opponents 14-0. FSU is the first team since 2017 to shut out their first four NCAA Tournament opponents.

A Familiar Foe
This will be the third time this season that FSU and Clemson will have faced off this season. FSU defeated Clemson 4-2 on Sept. 15 and defeated the Tigers again at WakeMed Soccer Park for the ACC Championship. FSU has won the last seven meetings against the Tigers.

FSU vs the ACC in the NCAA Tournament
Friday will mark the 17th time that FSU has faced an ACC opponent in the NCAA Tournament and this will be the seventh time FSU has played an ACC team in the College Cup. FSU is 10-4-2 against ACC opponents in the NCAA Tournament and is 3-2-1 against ACC teams in the College Cup. Friday will be the first time FSU and Clemson have met in the NCAA Tournament since 2006.

Scoring Explosion
FSU has put together one of the best offensive seasons in school history this season. FSU has already scored 68 games this season which is the third most in school history and is just three goals from the second-most in school history. FSU is on pace to break the school record for goals per game, points per game and assists per game. FSU currently leads the country in goals per game, points per game and assists per game. FSU also scored 36 goals in ACC play which is the second-most goals ever scored in ACC history during conference play.

Historic Defensive Numbers
After struggling in the first three games of ACC play where FSU gave up seven goals in three games, FSU has locked down opponent after opponent in the last 13 games. FSU has allowed just four goals in their last 13 matches and have shut out seven out of their last eight opponents. FSU is the first team since 2017 to shut out their first four opponents in the NCAA Tournament.

Nothing Gets Past Roque
Cristina Roque has solidified herself as one of the top goalies in FSU history, and she continues to get better when the lights are at their brightest. With four shutouts so far in the NCAA Tournament, Roque is FSU's record holder for career shutouts in the NCAA Tournament with 15. Roque is second in school history with 15 wins in the NCAA Tournament. Roque currently has a 0.62 goals against average this season which is tied for the ninth-best in school history.

Success at Home in the NCAA Tournament
FSU has been dominant at home in the NCAA Tournament. Out of 62 games, FSU has advanced in 59 of those games while losing just twice. Overall, FSU has a 58-2-1 record in NCAA Tournament games in Tallahassee. In those 61 games, FSU is outscoring its opponent 173-23.

ACC Champs
For the fourth consecutive season, Florida State won an ACC Championship. FSU defeated Pitt (2-0) and Clemson (2-1) to claim the program's 10th ACC Championship. FSU claimed both the ACC Regular Season Championship and the ACC Tournament Championship for just the fourth time in program history.

A Historic Run
Florida State has been a perennial power for most of this century, but FSU was able to accomplish something they never have in school history this regular season. FSU completed its first ever undefeated regular season in school history with a 14-0-1 record. FSU did complete the 2020 regular season with an 8-0 record with a conference-only schedule. FSU's 21 game unbeaten streak is tied for the second longest streak in school history.

Getting Hot
FSU forward Onyi Echegini has been very impressive all season but has taken her game to another level in recent weeks. In her last 10 games, Echegini has scored nine goals and has emerged as the ACC's leading goal scorer. Echegini has scored 10+ goals in back-to-back seasons and is the first Nole to accomplish that feat since Deyna Castellanos in 2018-19. Echegini was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and the ACC Tournament MVP.

A Star in the Making
Freshman forward Jordynn Dudley has put together one of the best freshman seasons in the country. Dudley has scored 12 goals while adding eight assists. Her 12 goals is tied for the second-most ever by a freshman in FSU history. Her 32 points also ranks second among freshman in FSU history. Dudley has recorded a point in eight out of the last nine games for the Seminoles.

Dynamic Duo
The Seminoles have one of the top scoring duos not only in the ACC but also in the country with Jordynn Dudley and Onyi Echegini. Echegini (15) and Dudley (12) have combined to score 27 goals for the Seminoles this season. Echegini and Dudley are the top two scorers in the ACC. This is the first time since 2014 that FSU has had two double-digit scorers in a season.

Spreading the Wealth
Florida State is the best team in the country in terms of spreading the ball around. 13 players have scored for the Seminoles this season which is a top 10 mark in school history. FSU is ranked first in the country with 3.48 assists per game. Taylor Huff leads the team with 13 assists which ranks eighth in the country. Huff's 13 assists is tied for the third most in a single season by a Seminole.

Suffocating Defense
FSU has once again been one of the top defensive teams in the country. FSU has shutout seven out of their last eight opponents and have given up just four goals in their last 13 games. Against Miami, the Seminoles did not allow a single shot. This was the first time the Seminoles have held an opponent to 0 shots since Sept. 8, 2019, against Samford. It was the eighth time the Seminoles have held an opponent to 0 shots and just the third time and first time since 2014 that FSU has held an ACC opponent to 0 shots.

Strong PK Showing
Overall, Florida State has a combined record of 12-4 all-time in postseason penalty kicks - including a record of 10-2 since 2005 - and earned the 2011, 2015 and 2016 ACC Championship and the 2021 National Championship by way of PKs.

Comeback Kids
FSU has trailed just three times this season and have made comebacks in each match to either win or tie the match. FSU has trailed twice at the half this season against Syracuse and No. 18 Pitt and came back to win 3-2 in both matches. FSU also fell behind against No. 1 UNC in the final minutes but got a last-second goal from Mimi Van Zanten to earn the draw.

Finishing Strong
The Seminoles have dominated teams in the final 25 minutes of the match. In the last 25 minutes of their games this season, FSU is outscoring opponents 27-4 with two of those goals being surrendered against No. 1 North Carolina.

Dominating the Second Half
The Seminoles have been unstoppable in the final 45 minutes of their first six matches. In the second half this season, FSU is outscoring their opponents 49-4 compared to just a 17-8 advantage in the first half. Under Head Coach Brian Pensky, the Seminoles have outscored their opponents 90-14 in the second half.

Dominance Away From Home
The Seminoles are also impressive away from the friendly confines of the Seminole Soccer Complex, posting a true road record of 59-18-11 (.716) since 2013, as well as a neutral site mark of 27-6-4 (.771).

Do we go after a portal guy with experience? After watching the game, I don’t think Tate is the answer and Brock needs another year of development.
What quarterbacks will hit the portal?

Lonni Alameda discusses five questions with the Osceola, updating on pitchers and position players as well as discussing the 2024 schedule:

Here is a closer look at the Louisville Cardinals personnel and tendencies.

I got bored and looked at the past recruiting classes. Yikes. Going into next year this is by far our biggest issue, with LB bringing up the rear fast lol.

I have no idea how good some of the younger names are but man it's a little scary. I only see one DT in this class and he's a 3 star.

@Fishbits can you enlighten me ? Bueller ? Anyone ?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Onyi Echegini and Jordynn Dudley have been named MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists as announced by United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club.

The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. Last year's winner was Michelle Cooper for the Duke Blue Devils.

Florida State's last honoree named to the 15-man list was Jenna Nighswonger, she was then named a finalist for the trophy last season. Two players from Florida State have received the award with Jaelin Howell winning back-to-back in 2020 and 2021 while Mami Yamaguchi claimed the program's first back in 2007.

Echegini was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP this season while also being selected for the All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Tournament Team. The Nigerian international has scored 15 goals and four assists with multi-goal games against North Florida, eleventh-ranked Notre Dame, Duke, and seventh-ranked Clemson in the ACC Championship.

Dudley is the only freshman on the list and her first collegiate season saw her claim ACC Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-ACC First Team, All-ACC Freshman Team, and the ACC All-Tournament Team with TopDrawerSoccer selecting her in their Team of the Week award on multiple occasions. She's scored 12 goals and eight assists with prolific performances against South Florida, Miami and a brace at first-ranked North Carolina.

Three finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, December 6, and the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held in St. Louis on January 5, 2024, to formally announce the winners.

I brought this up in another thread....The FSU job is without question one of the best jobs in the country. When you look at Ohio State -Great job...No doubt about it. Probably the easiest job to win at. They have every built in resource imagined to man...That program has been good since I started watching college football in 1980. They have never had a dark decade. They have always been relevant. You have Texas A&M. Here is a program and fan base that have no idea what it is like to be an ELITE program. They act like they are elite. They recruit like they want to be elite...But there is something wrong in denmark...They just fired a coach and handed him 78 million and brought in someone who did not have the same resume...Trust me, I think Elko is a very good coach. They wanted more offense and hired a DC...You have USC...Won 11 games in Lincoln Riley first season...There is crazy talk now of him not being an elite coach and some want him to take another job. You have UF....They run through coaches....They have 100 years plus of football tradition but get it wrong more than they get it right. They hate each coach outside of Spurrier. Their coach is on the hot seat in year 2. I can go on and on about each program.

The one thing I respect about FSU....They give their coaches a long leesh....as long as they deserve it. The fan base, the media, the boosters at FSU, Never one time waivered with MN as coach. Even after the Jacksonville State game. That patience would never happen at most of these other schools. FSU has been rewared for it. While some programs may have more money...they may have better facilities....I say this is still one of the best programs in the country.

FSU 66 UGA 68 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

Well, there was .... uh ..... ummm. Give me a minute, I'll think of something.

Oh yeah, Darin Green and his brother (not really) De'Ante Green with 21 points and 14 respectively (a career high for De'Ante).

I did like the nifty Baba Miller pass to De'Ante Green crashing in along the left baseline for the lay up for the 31-27 lead.

FSU did well in taking care of the ball with just 9 turnovers. Until they made two in late in the second half as FSU was disintegrating. The timing was not good.


The Bad

Up by 17 and end up losing the game. A seventeen point margin in the 'Noles favor gone in a matter of minutes finished off with the game winning shot with one second left. The 16-3 run that gave FSU that seventeen point lead all for nothing.

With the loss, FSU falls to 4-2. It was the first meeting between the two teams in 42 years. Hopefully FSU will not have to wait another 42 years for a rematch to make up for tonight's debacle. Coming into the game, UGA coach Mike White was 0-7 in his tenure with the gatros. Make that 1-7.

"We kind of fell apart". Those were the first words from Leonard Hamilton in his post game show. He followed that with "we made poor decisions". As coach likes to say, "no doubt about that". I'll save that for the ugly part of this diatribe.

Hamilton's concern before tip off was UGA and how the Bulldogs play aggressively on offense constantly attacking the basket. And that is exactly what the Dawgs did, put their head down and just drove the ball in either making the lay up or kicking out for the three. This has been the 'Noles bug-a-boo since the season began. The defense just has numerous problems stopping the dribble. It really might not have not come down to the final shot as UGA had many wide open three point attempts that did not go down.

FSU's vaunted depth disappeared due to foul trouble that sent both Baba Miller and Jamir Watkins to the bench with five fouls.

Cameron Corhen played but in a very limited role coming of the bench producing very little in his 10 minutes on the floor. The injury he suffered last week clearly is not healed and affected his play. It was actually a game time decision to play him..

Jaylen Gainey played his first minutes as a Seminole. Unfortunately it is very clear he is not 100%. Not even close. An awkward landing in the first half forced Hamilton to sit him the rest of the game.

Had FSU won the game, the victory would have clinched the ACC/SEC Challenge in favor of the ACC. Instead the initial Challenge ends in a tie 7-7.


The Ugly

It bears repeating. Up by 17, and end up losing the game. A seventeen point margin in the 'Noles favor gone in a matter of minutes finished off with the game winning shot with one second left.

24-5. That is how much Florida State was outscored over the final 7:53.

To say both teams were offensively challenged in the first half would be an understatement. After racing out to a 5-0 to start the game, UGA failed to make another FG over the next 10:46. FSU was not much better connecting on just 1-18 shots over that stretch. Instead of jumping on the Bulldogs, FSU kept them in the game leading by just five, 15-10 after the Dawgs broke the scoring drought. That to me was a key factor in tonight's disappointment.

The other area of the game that contributed the most to the loss was after back to back threes by Darin Green, FSU led 61-44. And then it was as if the team stopped playing offense. The exact moment it slipped away can be traced to the full court press after a pair of FTs that UGA slapped on. Darin Green got himself pinned in the corner, panicked IMO and launched an ill-advised long pass over the time line that was picked off and run back for a three pointer, 61-50. From that point on the Seminoles were making every mistake in the book. Missed shots, missed FTs, poor defense in stopping the ball, fouls on defense, fouls on offense, turnovers ... you name it, they did it. It was some of the most undisciplined ball you will ever see. FSU finally gave up the lead, 64-63, with 2:29 to play. While UGA was playing down hill offensively, FSU was impatient and had very little semblance of a coordinated game on that side of the floor.

After scoring 19 in Daytona, Jalen Warley with an abysmal game on offense. 0-7 from the floor. 0-2 from the FT (when it really counted). It was ugly to watch.

Josh Nickelberry in not learning from his mistake in Daytona when he threw a cross court pass that was any DB's dream and easily pick off. Just as was the case again tonight. Memo to Josh: Don't do that. There, that should solve that issue.

Thank goodness De'Ante Green was not injured in that hard takedown by the neck by Russell Tchewa who was ejected on a Flagrant 2 foul.

Say, did you know that UGA's Jalen DeLoach is the brother of FSU's Kalen DeLoach? It was only mentioned it about 5,000 times.

The game that dragged along for two hours and thirty minutes only to see it end like that. That was a game FSU should have won.


Up Next

Now it gets tougher. A lot tougher as the 'Noles head to Chapel Hill to take on the 6-1 Tar Heels on Saturday at 2 PM. It will air on the ACCN. Earlier tonight, #17 UNC was hammering #10 Tennessee by something like 24 points in the first half. They ended up winning 100-92.

Deep Fried, Roasted and stuffed, Smoked, or brined?

Florida State plays host to Georgia on Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. (ACC Network) in an ACC-SEC Challenge game.

It's plausible that forward Jaylan Gainey makes his FSU debut tonight. Gainey missed all of the 2022-23 season after undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Gainey has not played in FSU's first five games but has been warming up and building toward a return, which Leonard Hamilton has often said would be in December.

Jamir Watkins sat down with the Osceola for a one-on-one interview earlier this week. Watkins, who averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in leading the Seminoles to the championship of the Sunshine Slam, was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week in a vote by a Blue Ribbon panel and announced by the ACC Office. Watkins was named the MVP of the Sunshine Slam as the Seminoles defeated UNLV and No. 18 Colorado to win the championship of the tournament.

Georgia features a familiar name in Jalen DeLoach, the little brother of FSU linebacker Kalen DeLoach. "Everybody come to the tucker Center, Wednesday at 9:15," Kalen DeLoach said. "Little bro is playing." Watkins and Jalen DeLoach were teammates on VCU's roster last week.

Florida State, which won the championship of the Sunshine Slam with victories over Central Michigan, UNLV, and No. 18/21 Colorado last week, plays host to Georgia in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. The game is the first meeting between the Seminoles and the Bulldogs in basketball since the 1981 season. Florida State will honor Hugh and Melinda Durham – who will be present at Wednesday’s game in a halftime ceremony. Durham, who was selected into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, coached both the Seminoles (in 1972) and the Bulldogs (in 1983) to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. He was elected into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in1980, the Kentucky High School Hall of Fame in 1994, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, the Georgia SportsHall of Fame in 2009 and to the Kentucky Sports Hal of Fame in 2016. Following Florida State’s game against Georgia, the Seminoles begin ACC play at No. 19 North Carolina at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C, on Saturday 2 p.m.

Hugh Durham led the Seminole basketball teams as a player in the 1950’s (1957-59) and as a coach in the 1960s and 1970s (1966-78). As a player, Durham scored 1,281 points and averaged 18.9 points scored per game. Durham is ranked 18th all-time in scoring, ninth in career scoring average, fourth in career free throws made (441) and is tied for ninth in school history among the fastest players in school history to score 1,000 career points. Durham became Florida State’s head coach in 1960, earned a 230-95 record and led three Seminole teams into the NCAA Tournament including the 1972 squad that played in Florida State’s first Final Four and advanced to the first National Championship game.

So….Will CMN look to the portal for help/depth at QB when it opens. Thoughts??

5.07 million is a very solid number for a cable tv game and was the 5th highest viewed game of rivalry weekend.. For example, 5.07mil is well over double the viewership of UF/Missouri which was in that same time slot also on ESPN the week before. What does that mean? It means people tune in when FSU is playing.

After having said that, holy mother of pigskin - those UM/OSU numbers are insane! 19 million?? Well over double our hugely viewed FSU/LSU game.