Utah -4.5 (-110) over Florida
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- Cameron Rising is not expected to start at quarterback for Utah, which has brought this line down to a very appetizing 4.5 points, which should help the Utes cover with or without their starting QB.
- Utah has been dominant at home historically, going 5-1 against the spread at home a season ago.
- Graham Mertz has been positively mediocre throughout his collegiate career at Wisconsin, and that will not change at Florida.
Just like last season, the Florida Gators and Utah Utes will meet in non-conference action in college football. Florida got the win over Utah at home last season, as a late drive by Utah was denied at the goal line. This year, the Utes will look for revenge as they play the role of hosts. Here, we make our college football predictions for Florida vs Utah from Salt Lake City.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators enter this season with some question marks on the offensive side of the ball. Top-five NFL Draft pick Anthony Richardson is gone to the NFL, and Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz will take over under center. But Mertz has never thrown 20 touchdown passes in a season, and it remains to be seen if he can lead this offense to great things.
In this game, pass protection will be the key for Florida, against a Utah team that prides itself on its ability to get after opposing quarterbacks. With Mertz playing his first live game action in charge of a new offense, time to throw will be even more important than usual, which could make this a bad matchup for this SEC squad.
Utah Utes
Last season, the Utah Utes won the Pac-12 championship, putting forth a brilliant defensive effort against Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and USC to reach the Rose Bowl. While the Rose Bowl did not go well for the Utes, it was still a successful season for them. Now Utah looks to build on that season, starting with this marquee matchup against the Gators.
The question for Utah will be whether they can generate enough offense without Cam Rising on the field. Utah also lost star tight end Dalton Kincaid to the NFL, and it could take a Herculean effort on defense for the Utes to overcome those losses in Week 1.
NCAAFB
Florida Gators
Utah Utes
Team Stats
Passing
Offense/Defense
| FL | Passing | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| 16.2 | CMP | 15.8 |
| 26.7 | ATT | 30 |
| 60.7 | CMP% | 52.7 |
| 231.6 | Y/G | 191.5 |
| 8.7 | Y/A | 6.4 |
| 1.3 | TD/G | 1.3 |
Defense/Offense
| FL | Passing | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| 19.4 | CMP | 17.3 |
| 32.1 | ATT | 32.1 |
| 60.4 | CMP% | 53.9 |
| 236.9 | Y/G | 215.3 |
| 7.4 | Y/A | 6.7 |
| 1.5 | TD/G | 1.9 |
Rushing
Offense/Defense
| FL | Rushing | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| 33.4 | ATT | 32.1 |
| 147.3 | Y/G | 125.7 |
| 4.4 | Y/A | 3.9 |
| 2.1 | TD/G | 0.9 |
Defense/Offense
| FL | Rushing | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| 40.6 | ATT | 34.3 |
| 161.9 | Y/G | 138.5 |
| 4.0 | Y/A | 4.0 |
| 1.6 | TD/G | 0.6 |
Special Teams
| FL | Special Teams | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| 4.3 | Punts-GM | 5.0 |
| 46.2 | Punt Avg | 43.7 |
| 1.5 | Kick Ret GM | 1.5 |
| 20.3 | Kick Ret Avg | 19.2 |
| 1.0 | Punt Ret GM | 1.9 |
| 15.4 | Punt Ret Avg | 4.8 |
Betting Trends
| FL | Betting Trends | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 0-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-1-0 |
| 1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
| 21.67 | Avg Score | 43.67 |
| 35.33 | Avg Opp Score | 26.67 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 0-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-1-0 |
| 1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
| 21.67 | Avg Score | 36 |
| 35.33 | Avg Opp Score | 20.67 |
| FL | Betting Trends | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 2-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-2-0 |
| 3-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
| 28.8 | Avg Score | 38 |
| 27.2 | Avg Opp Score | 21.4 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 4-1-0 |
| 3-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
| 25.2 | Avg Score | 38.6 |
| 34.4 | Avg Opp Score | 24 |
| FL | Betting Trends | UTAH |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 4-6-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 7-3-0 |
| 6-4-0 | ATS W/L/P | 5-5-0 |
| 30.8 | Avg Score | 37.3 |
| 29.5 | Avg Opp Score | 24.4 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-9-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 9-1-0 |
| 4-6-0 | ATS W/L/P | 7-3-0 |
| 25.4 | Avg Score | 40.5 |
| 34.3 | Avg Opp Score | 16.4 |
