JD PicKell: Predicting the top finisher of 'Big 3' Florida schools

The State of Florida has a classic Big 3; Florida, Florida State, and Miami. Those three schools are the traditional powers within Florida, competing in the SEC and ACC respectively. Even when a school like UCF tries to push the envelope and create a Big 4, those three always remain the biggest brands within the state.

Now, all of the Big 3 schools are trying to rebuild their programs in some capacity. Miami and Florida both come into 2022 with new coaches. So, who is in the best position for the 2022 season?

On3’s J.D. PicKell broke down the Big 3 schools in Florida and who would be the top finisher among the three on The Hard Count.

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In the past, J.D. PicKell has picked Miami and Florida to both go 9-3 in 2022. That’s decently ahead of where fellow Big 3 school Florida State is projecting. So, then, who between the Hurricanes and Gators is going to have a better season?

“A lot of it does hinge on AR [Anthony Richardson] for Florida,” J.D. PicKell said. “Whereas, I think they have more than I’m certain about at Miami, on the offensive side of the ball, at the very least.”

“The thing I want to stress is 9-3 in the ACC probably gets you more than it does in the SEC because for Florida to win the East, you’ve got to probably finish with one loss, assuming that Georgia kind of runs the table. So, that’s tough. However, 9-3 for Miami, I think if you do lose that game to [Texas] A&M if you do lose to Clemson. I’m not saying it’s gonna happen, but if you do lose to Clemson, you probably still find yourself in that ACC title game.”

That means that Miami will likely be the best Big 3 school by accomplishments. However, Florida’s season could easily be better without the accolades.