The No. 13 Florida Gators (-5) and Florida State Seminoles are ready to do battle on the grass of Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. The afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ABC.
Betting Preview: Florida Gators vs. Florida State Seminoles
Florida State is entering this game as the underdog and is currently getting 5 points. The Gators are also receiving -220 moneyline odds while the Seminoles are +180. If one team can get out in front early it’ll generate a solid live betting opportunity. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 53.5 points.
The total hasn’t changed after it was initially placed at 53.5. Having said that, the line opened at 3 and the early action has swayed toward the Gators.
The Gators have lost 2.8 units so far in 2018 and are 7-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U mark of 5-5.
The Seminoles have lost 4.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 4-7 ATS and the over has hit in seven of their games.
The Gators have gone 8-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Seminoles are 5-6 SU.
These two schools faced off last year with the final result being a 38-22 victory for Florida State.
The Gators are coming off a resounding 63-10 victory over Idaho last week. The Gators defense allowed the Vandals to run for 154 yards on 33 rush attempts. On the offensive side, the Gators completed 31-of-43 passes for 399 yards and five touchdowns. Feleipe Franks went 19-for-27 for 274 yards and three touchdowns while Emory Jones completed 12-of-16 for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Dameon Pierce (77 yards on 13 rush attempts) led the ground attack while Kadarius Toney (six receptions, 54 yards) and Van Jefferson (three catches, 35 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Florida State is coming off of a 22-21 win over Boston College. Deondre Francois completed 19-of-39 passes for 322 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Cam Akers (110 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Francois (26 yards on 10 carries) led the running game while Keyshawn Helton (six receptions, 73 yards) and Tamorrion Terry (three catches, 112 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Florida has run the ball on 58.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Florida State has a rush percentage of 45.7 percent. The Gators have rushed for 202.9 yards per game and have 18 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Noles are logging 86.7 rushing yards per game and have 10 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Gators should have the advantage in the trenches, as their offensive line has given up just 37 sacks while the D-line logged 23 sacks. The Seminoles O-line has allowed 32 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs on just 29 occasions.
The Gators offensive scheme has averaged 213.8 yards in the air overall and has 24 passing TDs so far. The Noles have put up 280.6 pass yards per contest and have 19 total pass scores.
Florida appears to have an edge when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 168.5 yards and pass for 174.8 yards per game. The Florida State D has allowed 270.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 135.5 yards per game on the ground. The Gators are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.65 to opponents, while the Noles have given up a 6.18 ANY/A.
Offensively, Franks is up to 1,869 passing yards this year, and has completed 57 percent of his 252 attempts with 19 passing scores and only six interceptions. He has a 7.34 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 10.02 over the last two outings.
The Gators will likely try to control tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Jordan Scarlett (470 rush yards, three rush TDs), Lamical Perine (514 rush yards, three rush TDs), and Kadarius Toney (148 rush yards, 206 receiving yards) have really been focal points in the Florida offensive scheme.
Deondre Francois has completed 190-of-320 passes for 2,361 yards, 14 TDs and nine INTs for Florida State. His ANY/A sits at 6.08 for the season and 4.60 over his last two outings.
The Noles also like to heavily feature their backfield. In addition to Cam Akers (130 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Tamorrion Terry (617 receiving yards and eight receiving TDs) and Nyqwan Murray (four rush yards, 630 receiving yards, three TDs) have seen a lot of touches lately.
Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Florida, ATS Winner: Florida, O/U: Under
Betting Notes
- The Gators offense has created six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Seminoles have accounted for eight such plays.
- The Florida defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Florida State has given up 13 such plays.
- The Florida offense has created 20 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Florida State has created five such runs.
- The Gators defense has allowed 22 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Seminoles have given up nine such runs.
- The Florida defense has 27 sacks on the year while Florida State has 26.
- Florida, as a team, has produced 5.4 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.8 over its last two.
- Florida State has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.0 over its last two.
- Over its last three matchups, Florida State is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Florida’s last game going into it was 59. The over cashed in the team’s 63-10 victory over Idaho.
- Over its last three contests, Florida is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Florida State’s last matchup was set at 49.5. The under cashed in the 22-21 win over Boston College.
