The Utah Utes vs. the Florida Gators matchup is set to take place on Saturday in Gainsville in what should be one of the better college football matchups on the NCAAF schedule. Continue reading for the most recent and up-to-date Utes vs. Gators betting stats.
Utah Utes vs. Florida Gators Stats
Utah Utes Stats
The Utah Utes are one of the preseason favorite NCAAF picks to make the playoffs and have a chance to be even better this year than last year.
They’re bringing back 14 starters from last year’s team that won ten games and a conference title before losing a thriller to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
Cameron Rising, the quarterback for the Utes led Utah to a 38 PPG average, throwing for 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions while rushing for 499 yards as a duel threat.
Rising will be joined by Tavion Thomas who is arguably the league’s best running back, rushing for 1,108 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.
Together, Rising and Thomas will be joined by five of the six top receivers for Utah last season returning as well as four returning starters on the offensive line.
Utah Utes’ Offense and Defense
The Utes should easily be one of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses.
Defensively, Utah has six returning starters but will miss linebacker Devin Lloyd who was drafted in the first round of this year’s NFL draft and led the Utes in tackles last season.
Lloyd’s replacement Mohamoud Diabate will definitely have an impact on Utah’s defense. The Utes have plenty of playmakers on defense, led by linemen Junior Tefuna and Van Fillinger.
Clark Phillips and Cole Bishop will surely up the secondary, creating big-play opportunities. The Utes have not only one of the nation’s top defenses but quite possibly the toughest defensive unit in all of college football.
Florida Gators Stats
After going 11-2 and beating Virginia in the Orange Bowl two seasons ago, the Florida Gators went 6-7 last season and just slipped by Florida State to play in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson is talented but has health and consistency issues and needs to improve his decision-making in the pocket.
Richardson only threw 64 passes last season and only had six touchdowns to five interceptions. One bright spot Richardson has shown is in his rushing ability, averaging 7.9 yards per carry on 51 attempts.
Mobile Quaterback
Having a mobile quarterback really helped in the red zone, ranking 14th in touchdown percentage inside the 20, but the Gators threw 18 interceptions as well last season.
Nay’Quan Wright, the top returnee at running back, only had 4.3 yards per carry last season.
Utah Utes vs. Florida Gators Matchup Betting Trends
Here are some key Utah vs. Florida Betting Stats and trends:
- The Utes are 29-15-0 against the spread in their last 44 games as an AP top 25 team on the road.
- The Utes are 9-1-0 against the spread in their last ten September games.
- Utah is 5-2 against the spread as a seven-point favorite or less in their last two seasons.
- The Gators have failed to cover the spread in their last seven games.
- Florida is 0-7-0 against the spread in their last seven games in non-conference games.
- The Gators are 0-8-0 against the spread in their last ten games.
Utah vs. Florida Betting Pick and Prediction
When looking at all the Utah vs. Florida betting stats I compiled, everything points to Utah winning this game comfortably.
Tavion Thomas, in my opinion, is the best running back in all of college football, and he’s going up against a Florida defense that is susceptible to the run and lacks physicality.
The Gators, under Billy Napier and offensive coordinator Rob Sale will look to play smashmouth football, but there’s a big difference between the Sun Belt and the SEC.
Who to Bet On?
Florida will find that out early against Utah and their dominant front seven led by Junior Tafuna and Van Fillinger.
Clark Phillips and Cole Bishop will wreak havoc in the secondary against turnover-prone Anthony Richardson who lacks decision-making in the pocket.
Bet the favorite early and look around at multiple sportsbooks to find the best NCAAF odds for this game and all season. Give me the Gators -3 in this matchup.
NCAAF Pick: Florida +3 (-115)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.