Week 1: Florida vs Utah 9/3/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Florida Gators and Utah Utes square off Saturday in week 1 college football action from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Utah Utes will be out to build on a fairly successful season in Salt Lake City after finishing the year with a record of 10-4 including an 8-1 mark in Pac-12 conference play. The Utes would take down Oregon in the Pac-12 title game by a final score of 38-10 but would lose a heartbreaker to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl by a final score of 48-45. Charlie Rising is back at QB for the Utes after rising up (pun fully intended) and taking over for Charlie Brewer (who is now at Liberty) and leading the Utes to the promise land. Tavion Thomas is back at RB for the Utes after rushing for over 1,100 yards and 21 TDs and Micah Bernard is a fully capable backup who rushed for 529 yards of his own last season. Rising may miss his favorite receiver target in Britain Covey, but Brant Kuithe is back at tight end and Dalton Kincaid’s at the other tight end after leading the Utes with 8 TD catches last season. On defense, the Utes lost two of their top guys in Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell, but ironically, Mohamoud Diabate transfers in from Florida to try to vill the void while Van Fillinger leads the pass rush for the Utes after chipping in 5.5 sacks last season. Clark Phillipes will head-man the secondary after recording 62 tackles last season and Cole Bishop is at safety after chipping in 55 tackles last season while Clayton Isbell transfers in from Illinois State after putting up 62 tackles and 3 interceptions at Illinois State last season.

The Florida Gators will hope to bounce back under new leadership after a dismal 2021 season by their standards last year, going 6-7 including a 2-6 mark in SEC play, which included a 29-17 loss to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl. Dan Mullen is now out at Florida, leaving the door open for Billy Napier to take over after turning the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana into a Sun Belt power. It’s now the Anthony Richardson show in Florida after Emory Jones moved on to Arizona State and that could be huge for Florida as Richardson is a big, NFL-ready looking QB prospect at 6’4” and 237 pounds that can move the ball through the air and with his feet. The Gators have plenty of running backs at their disposal, led by Montrell Johnson who transfers in from Louisiana to join his old head coach in Gainesville, while Nay’Quan Wright, Lorenzo Lingered and Demarkcus Bowman will all get their reps as well. The Gators lost their top receiver in Jacob Copeland to Maryland, but Justin Shorter is back and the Gators brought in Ricky Pearsall from Arizona State to make up the pieces of a relatively solid receiving corps for Napier’s maiden season. On defense, Brenton Cox leads the charge up front as Florida’s top pass rusher while Jalen Lee and Gervon Dexter are likely to get the immediate playing time alongside Cox up front. The Gators will be without the aforementioned Diabate, who transferred to the other sideline and the Utah Utes, but Ventrell Miller is back with a clean bill of health after a torn bicep derailed his season last year. Trey Dean is back to lead Florida’s secondary after leading the Gators with 91 tackles last season while Rashad Torrence is also back after contributing 87 tackles and 3 interceptions last season.

Utah is 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games in September and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games while the over is 6-0 in their last 6 road games. Florida is 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games overall and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games while the under is 5-1 in their last 6 home games.

I get the case to be made for Utah here as we don’t know what we’re going to see from Florida for sure under their new regime and all we have to go on is 2021 for a sample. That being said, the Utes weren’t very good on the road last year outside of the Pac-12 title game and the games they did win, they didn’t beat anyone of consequence. Florida has a lot to prove from the word go after last season and Billy Napier’s going to want to get out of the blocks fast and make a statement in this game. The Utes have one of the best defenses that Florida will encounter this season, but I don’t think it’ll be an issue. Give me Florida and the points in a game I think the Gators can win outright.