Two-Minute Drill: Panthers parade details; Shark Week is almost here
The Florida Panthers have brought the Stanley Cup to South Florida. On Sunday, they’ll host their celebration. Plus, Shark Week begins July 7.
Miami possesses the most powerful offense among Florida’s college football programs.
At least that’s what EA Sports decided in releasing its offense team ratings for the upcoming release of its anticipated College Football 25 video game. The Hurricanes are ranked seventh overall, surrounded by bluebloods such as Georgia, Oregon, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, LSU and — checks notes — Colorado.
UCF, meanwhile, cracked the list in 21st — one spot ahead of defending ACC champion Florida State.
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It’s certainly a sign of faith among the developers that Miami’s transfer portal recruitment of former Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward will be an extremely impactful addition. The Hurricanes ranked 38th in scoring (31.5 points per game) and 31st in total offense (431.2 yards per game) during the 2023 season.
Did EA Sports get its rankings right? Who’s too high, and who’s too low? Here’s the full list followed by five initial thoughts:
A common theme among the top-25 ranked teams in EA Sports’ list is the respect paid to experienced, dual-threat quarterbacks. Former UCF and Oklahoma starter Dillon Gabriel’s presence vaults Oregon up to the No. 2 spot, while Grayson McCall (N.C. State), Riley Leonard (Notre Dame) and DJ Uiagalelei (Florida State) all patched holes behind center for their respective teams out of the transfer portal.
UCF similarly found its signal-caller in the portal, three-year Arkansas starter KJ Jefferson — a veteran of 44 collegiate games, with nearly 10,000 yards of total offense to his credit. At 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds, Jefferson should resemble a bulldozer in the virtual world on designed QB run plays.
Adding to that, UCF possesses one of the deepest backfields in college football. Returning starter RJ Harvey and Peny Boone, the 2023 MAC Offensive Player of the Year at Toledo, ranked sixth and eighth in the nation in rushing yards. Johnny Richardson’s blazing speed around the edge should complement their skill sets nicely, with the added bonus of potentially breaking one the distance from anywhere on the field.
Kobe Hudson and Xavier Townsend are proven playmakers at wide receiver, and Randy Pittman Jr. is an ascending talent at tight end. The offensive line certainly had its shakeups throughout 2023, but Amari Kight and Marcellus Marshall are quality veteran starters who can start in multiple spots.
Colorado will certainly generate discussion as a top-10 inclusion. Let’s face it, anything related to Deion Sanders creates palpable college football buzz these days.
On one hand, Shedeur Sanders is unquestionably one of the better quarterbacks in the country. He completed 69.3% of his passes for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 11 games. Travis Hunter electrified as a two-way weapon when available, winning the Paul Hornung Award after catching five touchdowns and snagging three interceptions. Sanford native Jimmy Horn Jr., FAU transfer LaJohntay Wester and Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden form a tantalizing supporting cast.
However, Colorado’s offensive line ranked second-to-last in sacks allowed (56) last season, resulting in a massive overhaul in personnel. Four new starters, potentially including true freshman Jordan Seaton, could potentially fix the Buffaloes’ crippling pass protection problems but it’s a big enough question mark to drop them at least several pegs.
Fellow Pac-12 defectors Utah and Arizona sit among the EA Sports’ top-15 offenses. The Utes are favored to win the Big 12 in their debut season, according to BetOnline, and will gain a huge lift if Cameron Rising stays healthy. Arizona hopes to offset Jedd Fisch’s departure to Washington by keeping hold of the prolific passing partnership of Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan.
Still, Oklahoma State seems hard done here. Ollie Gordon II (1,732 rushing yards, 330 receiving yards, 22 TDs) claimed the Doak Walker Award last year as the nation’s top running back, and the Cowboys ranked 25th in the nation in passing (276.5 ypg). They hung at least 39 points on the board in five Big 12 games last season, though the Cowboys no-showed on a rainy afternoon in Orlando and were overwhelmed by Texas in the league’s title game.
Mike Gundy’s offense is consistently among college football’s best. From 2010-23, Oklahoma State has averaged 37.2 points and 473.0 yards of total offense per game, finishing as a top-10 scoring offense on six occasions.
Colorado’s top-10 credentials have already been called into question, and that was without mentioning that the Buffaloes finished 99th in yards per play. Clemson, the No. 10 offense in EA Sports College 25, was 98th last year.
Unlike Colorado, Dabo Swinney refuses to dip into the transfer portal for immediate help. So it will largely be the same group this coming fall for the Tigers, with the exception of Will Shipley, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cade Klubnik, former Texas Gatorade High School Player of the Year, could make a big leap in his third year at Clemson. But looking at some of the QBs on other highly rated offenses, he’s still an unproven commodity. The Tigers also did not have a 1,000-yard rusher nor a 600-yard receiver on the roster in 2023.
It’s hard to imagine Clemson won’t improve in Garrett Riley’s second year calling the plays, but vaulting into the sport’s upper echelon? This ranking feels more based in reputation rather than reality.
The Group of Five’s teams can often get shunned due to the perceived lack of competition in their leagues, but Memphis rightfully belongs in the list after ranking sixth nationally in scoring (39.4 ppg). The Tigers return quarterback Seth Henigan and leading receiver Roc Taylor, while adding South Carolina’s leading rusher Mario Anderson to the backfield mix.
Texas State and South Florida could also provide plenty of fun for gamers.
Former UCF offensive coordinator GJ Kinne sparked a huge turnaround at Texas State in 2023, and landed Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Jordan McCloud from James Madison. McCloud threw for 3,657 yards with 35 TDs and 10 picks, and added 276 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns on the ground.
South Florida similarly made huge strides in Year 1 under a former UCF assistant, Alex Golesh. Most importantly, USF held onto dangerous dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown, who accounted for 4,101 yards of total offense (eighth in FBS) and 37 touchdowns for the Bulls.
And, of course, Air Force, Navy and Army provide a unique wrinkle with their triple-option rushing attacks.
