Not much was expected from Florida. But the Gators won 11 games.
Everything was expected from Florida State. But the Seminoles settled for 11 wins and an Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Miami was looked at as a dark horse contender in the ACC’s Atlantic Division … and won it. Sort of.
Central Florida was looking to finish Conference USA play with a title, winning the trophy for the second time in three years. But the Knights fell short against Tulsa (twice).
South Florida was thought to be a team that could bring home a Big East title. But the Bulls fell well short of even a bowl game.
The 2012 college football season was unpredictable — and often disappointing — for the Sunshine State teams. But it also gave us something special: three teams enjoyed 10-win seasons.
Florida and Florida State each had 11 victories and UCF had 10, giving the state a trio of 10-win programs for the first time since 2003 (when Miami, Florida State and Florida Atlantic did it).
Here’s a look back at 10 significant college football stories in the state of Florida in 2012:
The Gators opened up 2012 on Jan. 2 by scoring a pair of special-teams touchdowns in the Gator Bowl to defeat Ohio State and wrap up their 2011 season at 7-6. So coming into this season, nobody was picking the Gators as national championship contenders, but, surprisingly, they ended up a touchdown away from going unbeaten in the regular season.
Few teams in college football had a season as good as this: road wins over Texas A&M and Florida State and home victories against LSU and South Carolina. The only blemish was a six-turnover, eight-point defeat to Georgia in Jacksonville.
Florida was third-best in the BCS in scoring defense in 2012, allowing just 12.9 points per game. How Florida won wasn’t always pretty, especially down the stretch as the offense was absent for most of victories over Missouri, Louisiana and Jacksonville State.
The Gators open 2013 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans against Louisville, and it could be the start of a special season for Florida. Expectations are high again in Gainesville.
The Seminoles looked like a team that could win a national title. There was talent and experience at every position. But that dream fell apart in Raleigh, N.C., when Florida State blew a 16-0 second-half lead and lost 17-16.
Florida State had the best rushing attack in school history with 37 touchdowns. EJ Manuel leaves Tallahassee as one of its top quarterbacks in terms of completion percentage and yards. And the Seminoles were again a top-five defense under coordinator Mark Stoops, who will take over as Kentucky’s head coach in 2013.
But even with a loss at home to Florida to end the regular season, Florida State enjoyed its first conference title since 2005 and is playing Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.
The ACC’s Atlantic Division was the title that technically half of the teams in the division won. North Carolina, however, was ineligible. Miami had seven wins and could have played Florida State for the league title -- if not for a self-imposed bowl ban. So third-place Georgia Tech took it.
A bowl ban for the second straight season cut short a roller-coaster season for the Hurricanes. Miami needed an offense that averaged 31.4 points per game because their defense allowed 30 or more points in eight games.
The Hurricanes lost to three of the nation’s top 15 teams — Notre Dame, Kansas State and Florida State – but they recovered to win three of their last four. Only time will tell how the NCAA will penalize Miami and if the program will play in a bowl after the 2013 season.
The seniors at UCF won 34 games in their four years in Orlando, the best four-year run by the Knights since the move up from Division I-AA in 1996.
A 38-17 win over Ball State in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl just down the road in St. Petersburg was the icing on the cake for the group of 20 seniors. They enjoyed their second bowl win of their career and sent the program on to 2013 and the Big East — two major unknowns.
What’s left to be seen is if the NCAA’s appeal upholds the bowl ban for major recruiting infractions or not. And what the Big East will even look like in nine months. But for 2012, UCF’s seniors were golden.
Plenty was expected from South Florida in 2012. There was a senior quarterback in B.J. Daniels and plenty of talent on defense.
But when the Bulls didn’t deliver, Skip Holtz couldn’t keep his job. The team went 0-for-October, and even a November win over Connecticut brought the end of Daniels’ season when he injured his ankle.
South Florida lost nine of its last 10 games and now looks ahead to the Willie Taggert Era. Taggert, 36, is a Bradenton native and led Western Kentucky to back-to-back 7-5 seasons.
Winning just three games wasn’t nearly enough for Skip Holtz and Mario Cristobal to be allowed to continue their building efforts.
Cristobal was considered a hot prospect in coaching circles after leading Florida International to a 7-6 mark in 2010 (including a bowl victory) and an 8-5 record in 2011. Things were looking up -- but the Panthers lost seven straight games at one point. Some reports point to former University of Miami coach Butch Davis as the new coach at FIU, but he has not been formally announced.
Holtz was hired in 2010 and made fanfare with his comment that South Florida should be playing for national titles. But the Bulls went 16-21 in his three seasons in Tampa, as Holtz couldn’t continue the success he had built at UConn and East Carolina. He has now taken over at Louisiana Tech.
If there were two stories to college football in 2012, it was these: Notre Dame going 12-0 in the regular season and the widespread conference realignment.
UCF leaves behind Conference USA for the Big East in 2013, meaning that the Knights will have a natural conference rival in South Florida. Florida International is joining C-USA in the fall. And Florida Atlantic will follow suit and join C-USA in 2014.
It’s hard to view a three-win season as making progress, but that’s the way Carl Pelini feels about his first year in Boca Raton.
Florida Atlantic opened 1-6 (with just a win over Wagner to its credit). But the Owls then beat Troy at home, fell at Navy by just a touchdown and defeated Western Kentucky. It wasn’t the most impressive three-week stretch, but it’s enough to build on in Year 2 for Pelini.
The Owls have some pieces for the future despite losing senior quarterback Graham Wilbert (2,814 passing yards). Florida Atlantic’s next quarterback can throw to rising juniors like wide receiver William Dukes (979 receiving yards) and tight end Nexon Dorvilus (five touchdowns).
Florida State’s Dustin Hopkins often credits the offense for putting him in position to make the kicks. And his snapper and holder for setting him up. But Hopkins has been consistent, making 24 of 28 field-goal attempts (including his current streak of 10 in a row).
Hopkins, a senior, owns the Florida State and ACC career scoring records. And then he moved into first place on the FBS all-time kicker scoring list. He has 456 career points.
