Are Florida's "Big 3" College Programs "Back?" Not So Fast, My Friend...

"College football is so much better when *insert team name* is good."

It's a phrase that is often uttered when a perennial college football powerhouse is on a bit of a downswing.

Programs like USC, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Miami, among others, are usually the teams that fans want to be back in the national spotlight, pining for the "glory days" of the sport.

The entire Sunshine State, more specifically the "Big 3" of Miami, FSU, and Florida, is one that falls into the aforementioned category, because, believe it or not, there was a time when all three of those programs were elite at once.

It's been a dark couple of decades down here, but it looks like nature might be healing in the great state of Florida as it pertains to college football.

That is certainly a "wow" stat, as I'm sure most fans can't believe it's been this long!

Oh sure, one or two of these teams have been elite in the last 20 years.

Florida won two national championships in 2006 and 2008 under the morally questionable guidance of Urban Meyer.

Florida State was a machine in the early 2010s, peaking in 2013 with an undefeated season and a national title in the last year of the BCS.

Miami… well, Miami still hasn't won an ACC title since joining the league two decades ago, but they look like they're starting to make some big boy moves with coach Mario Cristobal at the helm.

My point is, this is the first time since 2006 that all three teams have been considered legitimate contenders at the same time.

But are they really contenders, or is this just smoke?

We keep bringing up the 2006 preseason poll and yes, Florida did win a championship that year, but both Miami and FSU finished the regular season 6-6, with the Hurricanes jettisoning their national championship-winning head coach, Larry Coker, by season's end.

Could this year look like 2006 all over again, with one team ascending while the other two fade into obscurity?

I think the odds are likely.

Florida State had a big win over Alabama last weekend that catapulted them into national relevance, and while I don't want to yuck anyone's yum, I'm not sure if that was the same Crimson Tide team that used to bludgeon its victims to death en route to national championships.

We won't know for several weeks, mainly because FSU has such a weak schedule for the rest of the month, but this could have been a case of a talented but flawed team sneaking up on a traditional power and emptying the tank in week one.

Remember, Florida State was ranked in the preseason top-10 last year only to win two games in 2024, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility for them to faceplant again after tasting a little success.

Conversely, Florida plays an insanely hard schedule that has only gotten tougher after week one.

The Gators could very well be a playoff-caliber team in 2025 only to end the season 8-4 or 7-5 and miss the Big Dance entirely.

For crying out loud, they play eight teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

To give you an idea of just how bonkers that schedule is, the 2019 LSU Tigers had to defeat seven ranked teams on their way to a historic championship win.

Florida has to face more ranked squads in the regular season than the Tigers did with the postseason included.

Brutal!

I think the Big 3 team with the best path to the College Football Playoffs and national relevance is, ironically, the team that has been the least nationally relevant over this two-decade stretch.

The Hurricanes got a big win on Sunday night over last season's national runner-up, Notre Dame, and placed themselves firmly in the discussion among college football's contenders in 2025.

The Hurricanes have one more big test this month when Florida comes to town on September 20 and the Canes are a slight favorite in that one as of right now.

Even if Miami were to drop that one, their schedule sets up nicely to where I don't see them losing another game, and they would have a marquee win over the Fighting Irish in their back pocket as well as a possible ACC Championship.

It's nice to see every member of the Big 3 being represented in the AP Poll, but let's pump the breaks a little bit with the social media discourse about being "back."

There is still plenty of season left to be played, and with that, plenty of pitfalls along the road to success.

If you are a Miami, Florida, or Florida State fan, just enjoy the ride.

Who knows when these three programs will be back in the national spotlight together again?

No one is "back" yet, so just put the phones down, scale back the trash talk, and let the games play out.

But then again, it's college football, so I might be asking a little too much here.