College Football Betting – Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida Gators

Written by:
Phil Simon
Published on:
Aug/23/2019

The 2019 college football season gets started Saturday with a dandy when the Miami Hurricanes take on the No. 8 Florida Gators at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.


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The in-state rivals haven’t played since 2013, so along with bragging rights comes the opportunity to make a big statement as the only game in its time slot. The Gators look to continue their surge from last year when they won 10 games under first-year coach Dan Mullen. The Canes are hoping for similar success under Manny Diaz, who grabbed the reins when Mark Richt retired following a 7-6 campaign.

Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida Gators

Date and Time: Saturday, August 24, 2019, 7 p.m. ET

Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL

Opening CFB Odds: Florida -8.5, O/U 49

Hurricanes vs. Gators TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

Florida is the more experienced team and is coming off a 10-win season, making the Gators the favorite, though the number has bounced around since hitting the board two months ago. UF opened at -8.5 and the number was wagered down as low as -6 before the betting public started pounding the line. The spread jumped back to its current -7 with Miami getting a majority of the play. The Canes are looking to bounce back from a season that saw them go 7-6 straight up and 5-8 ATS.

Miami Hurricanes

Seven wins and a bowl game weren’t enough to keep Richt on board. The former coach would have been on the hot seat had he stayed, so instead Richt retired. Diaz was coaxed back to take over after briefly leaving for Temple. The allure of leading the Canes was something he couldn’t pass up. Now, he needs to deliver after another less than spectacular season in South Beach. The Canes reached double figures in wins just once since 2003.

It’s hard to win consistently without solid quarterback play, and the Canes are evidence of that. N’Kosi Perry and Malik Rosier combined to complete just over 51 percent of their passes. They failed to complete half their attempts in six games last year. So, the first thing Diaz had to do is find a quarterback. Transfer Tate Martell was expected to get the job, but a mediocre spring didn’t help. Instead, Diaz turned to redshirt freshman Jarren Williams to start the opener.

Defensively the Canes will be fine, after all that’s Diaz’s specialty. He was responsible for creating the turnover chain and the group will be hustling to the football and creating more turnovers. Diaz has some insight into what Florida might be up to offensively having served as an assistant to Mullen for two years at Mississippi State. I don’t think that will be enough, though.

Florida Gators

A big part of Florida’s success last year was the play of Felipe Franks. Mullen put together some strong offensive teams during his time at Mississippi State and he resurrected a sluggish squad, starting with the quarterback. Over the last four games of 2018, Franks averaged 215.5 passing yards and over 44 yards on the ground along with 12 total touchdowns and no picks. That production led the Gators to wins in all those games, including a thumping of Michigan in the Peach Bowl.

A sign that the Gators can continue putting up those numbers is the return of several playmakers. Leading receiver Van Jefferson had six touchdowns among his 35 grabs and averaged 14.4 yards per catch. Lamical Perine ran for 826 yards and seven touchdowns with an efficient 6.2 yards per attempt. In all, Florida returns nearly 80 percent of its rushing and receiving yardage in 2019.

Making the Gators scarier is that their defense could be better than the group that ranked 20th in points allowed and 25th overall. Most of the key players are back and cornerback CJ Henderson will make like difficult for Miami’s quarterbacks. UF surrendered over a touchdown per game less in 2018 than it did in 2017.

Bet Hurricanes vs. Gators at BookMaker.eu

Emotions will be high on Saturday and you can throw out all the stats and trends for a rivalry game. However, Florida has more stability at the most important position and that’s worth a few points on the betting line. I’m sure Williams is a fine player, but this isn’t Savannah State and the Gators are hungry to show that their preseason ranking isn’t a fluke. Besides, Miami hasn’t beaten a team ranked in the AP top-10 away from home since 2005. That’s enough for me to back the Gators.

NFL Score Prediction: Florida 27, Miami 16

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