The Florida Gators and the Utah Utes meet Thursday in college football action from Rice-Eccles Stadium. Florida limped to a 6-7 finish last year, ultimately falling to Oregon State in a blowout during the Las Vegas Bowl. As for Utah, they managed to go 10-4 overall in 2022 and won the Pac-12 Championship Game before falling in the Rose Bowl to Penn State. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Florida Gators 

The Gators didn’t take too many steps forward in Billy Napier’s first season, finishing 6-7 overall with a 3-5 record in SEC play. That left Florida in fifth place among the East Division standings, tied with Kentucky and Missouri. The Gators couldn’t win more than two consecutive games all year and ended with a 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. 

Florida’s offensive line is pretty much a fresh start in 2023, and we’ll have to see what kind of production the team gets from the QB position. The good news? Florida should be set at running back and receiver. RBs Cajun Montrell Johnson, Cam Carroll and Trevor Etienne should get things moving on the ground, and the Caleb Douglas/Marcus Burke combo should help fill the vacancy left by Xzavier Henderson. 

Florida Gators Team Facts

• Florida has lost nine of its last 10 games against AP-ranked teams.
• The underdog has covered the spread in 15 of Florida’s last 18 games.
• Florida has won the first half in five of its last six games against non-conference opponents.
• Each of Florida’s last seven road openers have gone OVER the total points line.

Utah Utes 

Over on the Utah side, they ended up 10-4 overall last year with a 7-2 run in Pac-12 play. The Utes earned a conference championship with a convincing 47-24 win over USC on December 2. The Rose Bowl didn’t go so well for Utah, however; that final game ended up a 35-21 loss to Penn State. 

Utes quarterback Cameron Rising looks like he should be able to put together another solid season after throwing 46 touchdowns and tearing his ACL in the Rose Bowl. In front of him we’ve got another great offensive line with NFL-level talent, so Utah should have plenty of options when they’ve got the ball. Ja’Quinden Jackson and Micah Bernard will help keep the running game churning along as well. 

Utah Utes Team Facts

• Utah has won each of its last 24 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
• Utah has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Utah has won the first half in each of its last seven Thursday games against non-conference opponents.
• Five of Utah’s last six games against non-conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Utah ranked 2nd among FBS teams for Q2 points per game last season (14.6).
• Utah ranked T3rd among FBS teams for Q2 win percentage last season (.786).
• Florida ranked T23rd among FBS teams for Q1 points per game last season (8.2).
• Florida ranked T25th among FBS teams for Q4 win percentage last season (.538).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m going to stay with the Utes. This will be a comfortable opening-game environment for Utah, as playing at Rice-Eccles last season really helped the team excel. The Utes lost their opener to Florida in Gainesville last year, so there’s a revenge element in play here also. Utah is just 3-13 since 2016 in road games versus teams that would finish with nine wins or more. The Utes have to get better against top-shelf competition, and that starts here. Florida should serve as a pretty good barometer in game number one. I think Utah will pass the test.