FOX 13 Sports presents College Caravan week
TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - College football is around the corner. Many teams are in the midst of fall camps and the FOX 13 Sports team is taking the show on the road to show you what they've got.
Sports Director Scott Smith is traveling from Tampa to Miami, and then to Orlando before heading north to Gainesville and Tallahassee – all in one week!
Watch daily Facebook live videos starting at 7:15 p.m.
College Caravan Day 1 - USF
The Bulls finished seven and six last season, ending the year on a disappointing six-game losing streak. Charlie Strong enters his third season as the Bulls head coach and feels he has a lot to prove. Senior quarterback Blake Barnett hopes to lead the team through a breakout season in 2019. The Bulls open the new year Aug.30 against Wisconsin at Raymond James Stadium.
College Caravan Day 2 - Miami
In the second stop on the College Caravan, we went inside the brand new, $40 million practice facility on the University of Miami's campus. The Hurricanes are already deep into fall camp as they get set for the first college football game of the year against the Gators on August 24 up in Orlando. Manny Diaz is the new head coach, and he brings a different aggressiveness and attitude, but that same stacked defense Hurricanes fans know and love. The biggest question mark for the 2019 Miami team, much like last year, is how good will they be at quarterback?
College Caravan Day 3 - FAU/UCF
We put some miles on the old College Caravan Wednesday. The day started at FAU in Boca Raton. The Owls won 11 games and went to a bowl game in 2017, Coach Lane Kiffin's first year. Last year went the other way, winning just 5 games, yet the Kiffin offense is still very good and they feel the talent is there to do what they did in 2017. So year-3 is a pivotal one for Kiffin's Owls.
At UCF in Orlando, Josh Heupel and his staff are excited about their Thursday night opener on August 29 against Florida A&M at Spectrum Stadium, but they've got a little QB competition to sort out until then.
College Caravan Day 4 - UF
The College Caravan headed north Thursday for a stop in Gainesville to visit Steve Spurrier in the Swamp. The Florida Gators come into the season with a lot of promise, ranked in the top 10 to start the year. Dan Mullen did wonders in his first year on the job, looking to build on that in 2019.
We can't think of too many people who mean more to this football program than the head coach. Spurrier is back from coaching AAF and in his role as University Ambassador. Check out our sit-down with him here:
College Caravan Day 5 - FSU
We are headed back to Tampa after day 5 of the College Caravan in Tallahassee with Willie Taggart's Seminoles. They're looking to surprise some folks this season, coming off one of their most disappointing seasons in more than three decades.
Friday was especially thrilling because we talked to not one, but two Seminole head coaches. Bobby Bowden, one of the winningest coaches of all time, keeps a low profile at his home in Tally. But he still loves his Noles! See how this year's team is getting ready and my sit-down with Bowden on Facebook.