The Utah Utes take on the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in a Week 1 college football game on Saturday.
Which team will win the match?
Check out these picks and predictions for the game, which is scheduled to start at 4 PM MST and can be seen on ESPN.
Utah is a 2.5-point favorite in the game, according to Tipico Sportsbook.
Pac-12 Football Week 1 Picks, Predictions:
Pete Fiutak writes: “Florida’s run defense needs to prove it can be night and day better than last season, and it needs to do it against a brutal offensive front that should be able to grind and grind more . This is a Ute team built to travel — the combination of big veteran D and tough running game works — but there’s a problem … Utah doesn’t always roll on the road. It went 10-4 last season. Four losses came at BYU, at San Diego State, at Oregon State, and—well, so it’s less—in the Rose Bowl. Who did it beat away from Salt Lake City? It knocked off a dead USC team, Stanford, and Arizona. The win the Pac-12 championship in Las Vegas was the only good road win. The program is 2-8 in its last ten road games against teams that finished with a winning record. It won’t be anything pretty, but Florida will get hard-fought win to kick off the Napier era with a capital W.”
College football Week 1 picks, predictions:
247 Sports: Utah 30, Florida 27
Brad Crawford writes: “Billy Napier’s tenure at Florida could start with a splash in September if the Gators are able to surprise us and beat a Utah team that most are projecting inside the top 15 as the preseason favorite in the Pac-12. However , Cameron Rising and the Utes are loaded with veterans and looking to break the Pac-12’s College Football Playoff drought, and this is one game that stands in Utah’s way to get there. This will be the most Utah hardly has to endure all season with more than 90,000 screaming Florida fans, anxious to try to start the Napier era with a special victory.”
More:Pac-12 football Week 1 schedule: Game dates, times, TV channels, how to watch
Shark odds: Utah 37.8, Florida 29.2
The site predicts Utah will win and cover the spread and go over the total.
ESPN: Florida has a 52.1% chance to beat Utah in Week 1
Page gives Utah a 47.9% shot to win on the road Saturday.
More:Pac-12 football Week 1 odds: Point spread, money lines, over/under for conference games
He writes: “Florida is expected to field a much more competitive team this season under first-year coach Billy Napier, but this will be its first outing and the Gators will face a tough Utah team that expected to feature a potent offense. and a stingy defense that allowed just 20.6 points per game last season. Utah has covered the number in five of its last seven overall, while Florida has failed to cover the nut in each of the seven the last.”
Odds: Get Utah to cover against Florida on Saturday
Matt Modi writes: “Overall, there’s a lot to like about this Utah team, with them having far fewer questions than most teams due to the number of players returning from their Rose Bowl squad this last season. They are ranked 8th in the nation for a reason, so I have a hard time picking anything but a Utah W for their opener. They have the best team, they are not dealing with wholesale changes that Florida is dealing with, and I’m not scared of this Game being played in Florida. While I have high hopes for the Napiers’ long-term stay in Florida, I have a hard time seeing them open the season their with a win against Utah.”
More:Pac-12 football Week 1 picks, predictions: key matchups Oregon vs. Georgia, Utah vs. Florida
Jon Wilner writes: “Our only question: Will Florida be within two scores with five minutes left, or out of reach? Maybe the former, but don’t rule out the latter.”
Sports Talk Site: Take Florida with points against Utah
Chris Ruffolo writes: “I understand that will be the case for Utah here as we don’t know what we will see for sure from Florida under their new regime and all we have to go on is 2021 for a sample. This Duke That said, the Utes weren’t very good on the road last year, outside of the Pac-12 title game and the games they won, they didn’t beat anyone of consequence. Florida has a lot to prove from the word go last season and Billy Napier will want to get out of the blocks quickly and make a statement in this game. The Utes have one of the best defenses Florida will face this season, but I don’t think it will be a problem. Give me Florida and the points in one game, I guess that the Gators can absolutely win.”
More:Pac-12 football title odds: USC, Utah, Oregon favored to win conference in 2022 season
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Contact Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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