Florida Becomes Legit 4-Team CFP Contender with Win Over Auburn; Title Odds Now +2000

*Odds taken 10/06/19

Florida Stymies Auburn Offense

No.10 Florida relied on their defense to earn a huge 24-13 victory over No.7 Auburn in Week 6. The Gators forced four turnovers, including three interceptions on freshman quarterback Bo Nix, and held the Tigers to just 269 yards of total offense.

Florida RB Lamical Perine had an 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, while quarterback Kyle Trask finished 19-of-31 for 234 yards and two touchdowns with three fumbles. Trask suffered a knee injury midway through the second quarter, but returned after a short trip to the locker room.

The Gators were all over the QB Nix and kept running back JaTarvious Whitlow out of the endzone. Florida held Auburn to only 4.1 yards per play and 3.6 yards per carry. The Tigers were only 2-for-14 on third down against the Gators.

Gators have Elite Defense

Florida ranks 54th in total offense, but their defense has been remarkable. The Gators ranked first in the country in both interceptions (12) and takeaways (17), while their 24 sacks are second-most in the nation.

This wasn’t a fluke.

Florida turned it over 4 times and still beat Auburn soundly.

Better team won.

Florida- with a championship caliber defense- is legit.

— Neil W. Blackmon (@nwblackmon) October 5, 2019

The electric atmosphere at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium makes it very tough for opposing teams to generate much offense against them. The Gators have held their opponents to just 16 points in four home games this season.

Florida’s defense is also delivering when it matters most. The Gators haven’t surrendered a single point in the fourth quarter this season and only 17 points total in the second half. This may just be the best defensive unit among all top-10 teams.

LSU and Georgia on Horizon

While Florida shut down the true freshman Nix in Week 6, the Gators are yet to face a talented offense with an experienced quarterback.

Florida visits Death Valley to play LSU in Week 7 before hosting Georgia in early-November. Both these teams are offensive powerhouses who are led by very talented quarterbacks.

No. 7 Florida opens as a two-touchdown underdog to No. 5 LSU (-13) on Saturday night in Death Valley.

— OnlyGators.com ? Florida Gators news (@onlygators) October 6, 2019

Tigers starting QB Joe Burrow is a Heisman favorite, and he’s leading an offense that is averaging a whopping 571 yards per game. Burrow threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns in Week 2 against Texas and is going to look to deliver another huge performance against a good team.

Georgia is also going to be a tough test for the Gators. D’Andre Swift leads a deep Bulldogs backfield, while Jake Fromm is an excellent quarterback. Florida may be better defensively, but they aren’t as complete as either of these squads.

Verdict on Florida’s National Championship Odds

Florida’s defense is elite, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough to lead them to a national championship this season.

It was an ugly game in the Swamp, and the Gators still have plenty to work on. Florida was sacked four times vs. Auburn and Trask has fumbled five times in three games. The offensive line hasn’t been good, while the run game has been inconsistent, ranking 65th in the country.

The Gators were able to shut down a mediocre Auburn offense and a freshman quarterback, but I don’t see them being able to prevail against all-around powerhouse such as LSU and Georgia.

The SEC has three unbeaten top-15 offensive teams  in LSU, Georgia and Alabama, while the Gators don’t even rank top-50 in total offense. As great as the defense has been, it isn’t going to be enough to be to lead them to a title this year.