Sports Betting Picks

Florida Gators at Ole Miss Rebels Betting Preview

With SEC Conference play set to begin this week, the No. 5 Florida Gators begin their march towards the College Football Playoff as they roll into Oxford for a showdown with the Ole Miss Rebels. Florida finished 11-2 last season and defeated Virginia 36-28 in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Ole Miss struggled down the stretch, losing five of their final six games to finish the year 4-8.

Kickoff is set for Saturday at noon ET. The Gators are 14.5-point favorites, with the over-under set at 57.

Gators Return With Bite

After a Week 3 injury to Feleipe Franks, junior quarterback Kyle Trask took command of the Gator offense, completing 67% of his passes for just under 3,000 yards, along with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Franks has since transferred to Arkansas, and Trask should steer the ship again in Gainesville.

Leading receiver Van Jefferson was drafted by the Rams in the second round, so the receiving trio of Jacob Copeland, Trevon Grims, and Kadarius Toney will pick up the slack. Tight end Kyle Pitts is one of the premier pass-catching tight ends in college football. Pitts reeled in 54 receptions for 649 yards and five touchdowns and will likely be a first-round draft pick in 2021.

Florida’s biggest offensive question lies in the backfield. The Jets drafted leading rusher La’Mical Perine in the fourth round, leaving junior Damean Pierce and freshman Lorenzo Lingard with big shoes to fill. Finding a balance between the running and passing games will be crucial to the success of Dan Mullen’s coaching system.

At times, the 2019 Gators defense was a patchwork unit, but they did not allow an opposing quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards until the Orange Bowl (even Joe Burrow and LSU did not break that mark). Cornerback CJ Henderson was drafted ninth overall by Jacksonville.

Pass rushers Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard were both drafted in the third round (Zuniga at No. 79 overall to the Jets, Greenard at No. 90 overall to the Houston Texans). Leading tackler from 2019, David Reese, was an undrafted free agent who has since signed with Minnesota.

With the loss of so much talent, the Gators may struggle out of the gate, but a favorable season schedule where they don’t have to play Alabama or Auburn and get to host LSU.

Rebel With a Cause

Lane Kiffin signed on to be the new head coach at Ole Miss in December, and questions are already swirling about the offensive potential and ability. The Rebels were second-to-last in the SEC West in points scored in 2019.

The offensive line allowed the most tackles for loss in the SEC. Ole Miss’ leading receiver Elijah Moore had 67 catches a year ago, which was 54 receptions more than the No. 2 receiver. 

The Rebels will return nine of their eleven defensive starters. Even though they allowed an SEC-worst 278 passing yards per game, the pass rush was excellent in recording 33 sacks. Senior hybrid edge rusher Sam Williams had six of those sacks and will need to build on a solid 2019 campaign to lead the Ole Miss D.

The Rebels have one of the toughest schedules in the country to open the season. In Week 2, they travel to No. 23 Kentucky. Week 3 features a home game against perennial title favorite Alabama (currently ranked No. 2), and in Week 5, Ole Miss will host No. 8 Auburn. Three top 10 opponents in the first five weeks could doom the Rebels’ season early.

Free Play: Florida (-14.5) 

Even with the lingering offensive and defensive questions, Florida should still win and cover against a mediocre Ole Miss team. Take Florida, and consider taking the under as well.

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