Florida Laying Large 13.5-Point Spread Against Virginia in Orange Bowl Opening Odds

• Florida will take a three-game winning streak overall and ATS into the Orange Bowl
• The Gators were No. 9 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and Virginia was No. 24
• Read below for the potential betting line movement in Orange Bowl

Florida opened as a 13.5-point favorite Sunday night over Virginia in the Orange Bowl, which will be played Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

#9 Florida vs. #24 Virginia Odds

Virginia (9-4) got shellacked in the ACC Championship Game by Clemson on Saturday night to the tune of 62-17 at Charlotte. The Cavaliers had a respectable 383 yards of total offense, but Clemson rolled up 619 yards — 411 passing and 208 rushing.

Quarterback Bryce Perkins accounted for 85% of Virginia’s offense, throwing for 266 yards and adding another 58 on the ground.

However, the College Football Playoff committee didn’t ding Virginia much for being routed, dropping them just one spot to No. 24 in the final rankings Sunday.

Florida (10-2), meanwhile, completed its regular season Nov. 30 by rolling to a 40-17 victory over visiting Florida State. Kyle Trask threw three first-half touchdowns, two to wide receiver Freddie Swain.

The Gators wound up No. 9 in the CFP rankings.

#Gators coach Dan Mullen on bowl bid:

“We’re looking forward to our trip to Miami to play in the Orange Bowl and a second consecutive NY6 Bowl game. Our players and staff have done a great job all year.

“… We finished strong and put ourselves in a position to win 11 games.” pic.twitter.com/JDL3QDvjAm

— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) December 8, 2019

Florida Facing Bowl Game Defections

Florida will be without cornerback CJ Henderson in the Orange Bowl as he has decided to skip the game and prepare for the NFL Draft.

The speedy Henderson was considered a likely first-round draft pick coming into the season but did not record any interceptions and was burned for five pass plays of 40 or more yards. He also missed three games with an ankle injury.

#Gators CB C.J. Henderson declares for the NFL Draft. He’ll also miss the bowl game. Best of luck CJ. We love you pic.twitter.com/kFwQ8ADjkd

— GatorRecruiting (@GatorRecruiting) December 6, 2019

Other Gators considering sitting out include receiver Trevon Grimes, defensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton and cornerback Marco Wilson.

The status of Virginia wide receiver Joe Reed is uncertain after he sat out the ACC title game with an undisclosed injury. Reed was in uniform on the sidelines but without pads.

Reed leads the Cavaliers with 70 receptions for 627 yards and six touchdowns. He is also averaging an outstanding 34.7 yards on 22 kickoff returns, two of which he has ran back for scores.

Florida Wins The Numbers Battle

As both the records and rankings – and especially the point spread – suggest, Florida is the superior team to Virginia. The Gators are also well ahead of the Cavaliers in all four of ESPN’s team efficiency indexes (TEI).

Florida vs Virginia Head-to-Head Stats

Furthermore, Florida bests Virginia in the most basic statistical categories. The Gators rank 35th in the nation in scoring offense (33.0 points a game) and ninth in scoring defense (14.4). Virginia is 49th in points scored (31.1) and 31st in points allowed (21.7).

Gators on Pointspread Roll

Florida will enter the Orange Bowl on a three-game winning streak while Virginia had won four games in a row until running into the Clemson buzzsaw.

The Gators have also covered in their last three games and are 8-4 against the spread this season. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are just 6-7 ATS.

The teams had two common opponents in the regular season.

As mentioned above, Florida beat Florida State by 23 points eight days ago. Virginia also beat the Seminoles, 31-24 at home. Both also faced Miami, with the Gators winning 24-20 in a neutral-site opener, while the Cavaliers lost 17-9 on the road.

Florida and Virginia have met only one other time with the Gators blasting the Cavaliers 55-10 in 1959 at Florida Field in Gainesville.

The 13.5-spread seems just about right. It it moves, though , it will likely climb at least a little bit higher. While Florida isn’t Clemson, the Gators are still capable of blowing Virginia out.