The No. 14 Utah Utes are the only ranked team in action on an 11-game Thursday college football slate, as they host the Florida Gators. Read on for our Florida vs. Utah picks based on the best college football odds.
Florida is coming off back-to-back 6-7 seasons, the first time it has had consecutive losing seasons since 1978-79. The Gators have not had three straight losing seasons since 1945-47, and if they do so again, second-year head coach Billy Napier's seat would get hot quickly.
Utah entered the last two Pac-12 Championship Games as underdogs to Oregon and USC and won both outright. It looks to end the final year in the conference as we know it as three-peat champions.
Though the two Pac-12 teams ranked ahead of the Utes (No. 6 USC, No. 10 Washington) are known for high-scoring and high-volume passing attacks, Kyle Whittingham's bunch is happy to play solid defense and employ a ground-and-pound approach.
Here is our best Florida vs. Utah prediction and college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites); pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Florida vs. Utah prediction: Week 1
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Given the uncertainty surrounding both starting quarterbacks, we have the utmost confidence in this five-star play.
In Florida's case, it has a veteran quarterback in Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, but what is uncertain is how the Gators will adapt their offense to his pocket-passing skillset, given that their offense was run-heavy under one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the country last year, Anthony Richardson. Mertz had a disappointing season last year with a 57% completion percentage, and he has gone three consecutive seasons without finishing a year with better than a 67% completion percentage.
Mertz struggled mightily against AP top 25 competition in his days at Wisconsin. In those high-profile games, he has produced a Total QBR of 38, a 54% completion percentage, a 5% interception percentage, and a 5-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio, all of which rank worst among FBS quarterbacks. And he has struggled to take care of the ball, with 21 interceptions over the last two seasons (10-plus interceptions in each).
Utah has one of the best front sevens in college football, and Mertz facing it on the road in his first year in a new system is an envious task. Last year's defense that led the conference in scoring (20.4 points per game), total defense (325.3 yards per game), and sacks (38) had 17 defenders play 200-plus snaps, and 12 of them return.
However, Utah's offense could also struggle out of the gate, with quarterback Cam Rising returning from an ACL injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl. Rising has been named the starter even though he has not yet been fully cleared, and we would not expect him to be 100% or for him to be allowed to run much (he was third in the conference among quarterbacks with 409 rushing yards) even if he does play.
Florida vs. Utah best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.5 | 45.5 | 45.5 | 45.5 | 45.5 |
| Over (-110)/ Under (-110) | Over (-115)/ Under (-105) | Over (-110)/ Under (-110) | Over (-110)/ Under (-110) | Over (-110)/ Under (-110) |
As all of our best sports betting apps are in unison with an O/U of 45.5, BetRivers is our easy choice for our go-to shop to back the Under, especially since it does not break the bank with a price of -113. With FanDuel the lone sportsbook of the five charging more in juice to back the Over, there is a chance the number goes up before kickoff if the betting splits warrant such a move.
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Florida vs. Utah odds
Florida vs. Utah odds analysis
All of our best sports betting sites at one point hit a high of Utah -7, but only FanDuel and BetRivers remained at that number, with all others shading under the key number to -6.5. That line movement, in combination with the Over coming down from a high of 46.5 and settling in at 45.5 at most shops, is a direct indictment on the health and status of Cam Rising. If Rising cannot play or is limited, Utah's quarterback situation is murky after backup Brandon Rose was injured in practice earlier this month.
There is good two-way action on the point spread, as the wagers are 55/45 in favor of the underdog Gators. The total is split more in favor of the Over, 59/41, which suggests a further line drop would only be the result or more impactful news related to Rising.
The Utes range from as low as -265 moneyline favorites at DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers to as high as -286 at Caesars.
Florida vs. Utah game info
- When: Thursday, Aug. 31, 8:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 88 degrees, 2% chance of precipitation, wind 10 mph SW
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