Florida Gators vs Miami Hurricanes Odds & Preview – August 24, 2019

• The Florida Gators & Miami Hurricanes kick off the college football season Saturday night (7pm ET) in Orlando
• Both teams lost 5 players to the NFL draft but it appears Florida is in better position to replace the lost talent
• Get the moneyline, spread, and total for the game
  

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College Football is finally back.

The Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes square off in a Week 0 neutral site match up on Saturday, August 24 (7pm ET) at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. And this matchup is worth watching for more reasons than just being the first college football action of the season.

Florida vs Miami Odds

*Odds taken on 8/23

The 8th ranked Gators will be the clear favorites. Should they be?

Here’s a break down of the match up along with my pick that could help you start this season on a winning note.

Key Departures at Both Schools

Both Florida and Miami saw five different players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.

For the first time since 2012, no Gators were selected in the first round but that was the case for the Hurricanes as well. While neither team saw a superstar exit the program, they’ll both be dealing with a loss of depth in their opening game.

I've been WAY overthinking this Florida/Miami matchup.

Feleipe continues to get better under Mullen and has an unbelievable WR corps

Todd Grantham vs QB who's barely played in 1 game

Diaz's 1st game as HC vs Top 10 team.

Has double digit Gator win all over it. pic.twitter.com/T5lgvl4i98

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 23, 2019

With three early selections on the defensive side of the ball it’s easy to see that Florida lost more talent to the draft. That said, they also have a much deeper roster and should be able to handle the turnover. The fact that none of the Gators key skill position players left school bodes well for them in the opener.

Can Jarren Williams Handle the Gator Defense?

The good news for redshirt freshman Jarren Williams? He won the starting job at Miami. The bad news? Game 1 will be against a vaunted SEC defense.

Williams won the job over Ohio State transfer Tate Martell in what was considered a surprise to many, including sportsbooks. He played in only one game last year but was a four star recruit that was viewed as a player with high upside.

Freshman Jarren Williams has been named Miami’s starting QB for opener vs. Florida. Williams won a 3-way battle w/sophomore N’Kosi Perry & sophomore Tate Martell

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 12, 2019

I like his chance to contribute in the long run but I do imagine Florida is the type of team that will capitalize on any growing pains he may experience in Orlando.

Franks, Peline & Jefferson All Return for Florida

Three key returnees to watch when the Gators are on offense are QB Feleipe Franks, RB Lamical Peline and WR Van Jefferson. In addition to their great names, they boast great skill as well.

Franks enters his third season, having already tossed 33 touchdowns in his college career, six of which landed in the hands of his favorite receiver: Van Jefferson. If the passing game starts off slow, Perine will be looking to build on a season that saw him finish just four yards shy of 1,000 yards from scrimmage on the year.

Best Finishes #10

Florida vs Tennessee 2017

The Gators and Vols were tied at 20 with 9 seconds left. Gator QB Feleipe Franks nailed a 63 yard pass to WR Tyrie Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/PixZNsI1Lv

— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) August 15, 2019

The three talented stars should provide Florida with all the offense they need to get their season off to a winning start.

Best Bet

I’d avoid betting the over because I simply don’t trust Miami to score enough points with a red shirt freshman under center. With that being said, I’m going with the Gators to cover as my first pick of the year.

PICK: Florida Gators -7.5 (+111)