Florida Gators vs Utah Utes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 08/31/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, August 31, 2023

Venue:  Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Florida +5.5, Utah -5.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Florida +4.5, Utah -4.5; Over/Under:  45 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Florida +4.5, Utah -4.5; Over/Under:  45.5 points

Florida Gators:  0-0 (SEC East)

Utah Utes:  0-0 (Pac-12)

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Florida Gators:  N/A

Utah Utes:  N/A

Florida finished last season with a 6-7 record overall and they had a 3-5 record in their conference games too.  They were 5-2 in their home games, 1-3 in their road games, and they were also 0-2 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 29.5 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 28.8 points per game. Their offense also averaged 424.1 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 411 yards per game. Anthony Richardson led the team in passing yards with 2549, Montrell Johnson led the team in rushing yards with 841, and Ricky Pearsall led the team in receiving yards with 661.

 

 

 

Utah finished last season with a 10-4 record overall and they had a 7-2 record in their conference games too.  They were 6-0 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they were also 1-1 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 38.6 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 21.4 points per game. Their offense also averaged 466.9 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 334.1 yards per game. Cameron Rising led the team in passing yards with 3034, Tavion Thomas led the team in rushing yards with 687, and Dalton Kincaid led the team in receiving yards with 890.

The current betting odds have Utah listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Utah finished last season with a 10-4 record overall and they were 7-2 in their conference games too since they were one of the best teams in the Pac-12. They have improved even more for this season and are supposed to be a lot better with their star QB Cam Rising. Rising is still dealing with an injury from last season and he may not play in this game but even without him in the game, Utah still has a ton more talent than Florida does. Graham Mertz is their starting QB this season as he made the switch from Wisconsin last year but he wasn't that great in Wisconsin and he is not going to be any better here at Florida with the team he has around him. Florida is lacking a lot of talent this year with their offense not looking great and their defense will have trouble stopping the Utah offense here, even without Rising leading the way for Utah. Florida also has to travel to Utah for this game and play in the altitude which puts them at an even larger disadvantage here. The best way to place a bet here is on Utah to cover the spread in this game.

Florida Utah Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Thursday, August 31, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Utah 38 Florida 20.

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Florida Gators: 10-16 ATS in all games. 3-6 ATS in road games. 6-3 OVER in road games. 5-2 OVER as an underdog.

Utah Utes: 8-4 ATS in home games. 8-2 ATS in August games. 14-8 OVER as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points. 9-4 OVER in the first half of the season. 

Florida Gators:  C. Carroll (RB) out for season - Knee. C. Jones (OL) Out indefinitely - Foot. T. Chiaokhiao-Bowman (WR) Ques Aug 31 - Undisclosed. J. Miller III (QB) Ques Aug 31 - Shoulder. D. Zanders (TE) Ques Aug 31 - Lower Body. J. Boone (DL) out for season - Knee. C. Douglas (WR) Ques Aug 31 - Undisclosed. R. Pearsall (WR) Ques Aug 31 - Illness. K. Zipperer (TE) Ques Aug 31 - Knee.

Utah Utes:  B. Kuithe (TE) Ques Aug 31 - Knee. B. Rose (QB) Ques Aug 31 - Undisclosed. C. Rising (QB) Prob Aug 31 - Knee.

"We do anticipate getting Zanders back. He'll be able to participate today and tomorrow, so we'll see where he's at relative to being ready for the game." - Billy Napier on their starting QB Dante Zanders coming into this season opener.

“We’re all about the Pac-12 and this year and this season, that’s it. We’re excited we got a landing place for the future, but we’re all focused on this season with this schedule. Namely the Florida Gators.” - Kyle Whittingham on the upcoming college football season.

WR Douglas, Caleb 

WR Burke, Marcus 

WR Pearsall, Ricky 

TE Boardingham, Arlis 

QB Mertz, Graham 

RB Johnson Jr., Montrell 

WR Vele, Devaughn 

WR Parks, Money 

WR Matthews, Mikey 

TE Kuithe, Brant 

QB Rising, Cameron 

RB Jackson, Ja'Quinden 

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Florida Gators: Billy Napier (2nd season)

Utah Utes: Kyle Whittingham (20th season)