Which team could have used a game the most?

Charlie Strong hoped to get his team going earlier./JEFFREY S. KING

Friday, 3 a.m.

As far as a football team goes, they all needed to play.

Really, they did.

You should have no problem, however, with the series of cancellations in which Miami, Florida, USF and then FSU all pulled the plug on what probably would have been a series of easy victories for this weekend. The roads are going to be jammed. Traffic is going to be loony. The last thing Florida needs is a couple of hundred thousand football fans on the highways, too.

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Flowers needs to be in a better rhythm for Bulls./JEFFREY S. KING

So which team lost the most by not playing?

1. Florida State: The Seminoles were coming off a defeat in which the Alabama Crimson Tide made the offense look ordinary. Not only that, but freshman James Blackman was going to step in for regular Deondre Francois. With Miami up next week (unless that, too, is moved, the Seminoles could have benefitted for Blackman getting some work. Louisana-Monroe wouldn't have proven anything, but at this point, it wouldn't have hurt.

2. Florida: The Gators loss to Michigan started a whole new season, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like another in an endless series of bad quarterbacking and bad offenses. Playing at home against a lesser opponent (Northern Colorado). For a day, at least, the Gators figured to look strong. With Tennessee up next, the Gators could have used the work.

3. USF: The Bulls have had two sluggish starts in a row. Not only that, UConn usually gives the Bulls a good game. That made this week's game – the only conference game in the state – important for USF. After this come weeknight games against Illinois and Temple. Quarterback Quinton Flowers hasn't been in synch yet. He'll need to get that way in a hurry.

4. Bucs at Dolphins: If both teams stay healthy, moving the game back is a bigger advantage for the Bucs than it is for the Dolphins. That said, the game is still in Miami. And next week's opener against Chicago might be a bit tougher.

5. Miami: The Hurricanes figured to win another walkover game against Arkansas State. But would that have prepared UM to finally beat FSU? Probably not. But circumstances have made this a winnable game for the 'Canes.