The Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators will each be playing their first game of the season on Saturday, August 31st. This game will be played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville and televised on ABC.

ABC will be covering the week one non-conference matchup between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators, set to kick off at 3:30 ET from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. Miami is the -2.5-point favorite on the road, with the money line at -145 for the Hurricanes and +120 for the Gators. The over/under line is currently at 54 points for this season opener for both teams.

Miami Hurricanes vs Florida Gators

Miami Records And Recent Play

Florida Records And Recent Play

Miami Offense Breakdown

Last season, Miami’s offense was 32nd in the country in scoring, putting up 31.5 points per game. The Hurricanes were 36th in passing yards per game, averaging 258 yards through the air, and their rushing attack averaged 173.8 yards per game, which ranked 44th nationally. Miami also ranked 21st in completion percentage at 65.1% and 20th in passing yards per attempt, with 7.7 yards.

This season, Miami has added quarterback Cameron Ward, who threw for 3736 yards and 25 touchdowns last year at Washington State. Ward has the 6th best odds to win the Heisman Trophy (+1266). The Hurricanes also brought in running back Damien Martinez, who rushed for 1185 yards last season and has the 4th best odds to win the Doak Walker Trophy. Returning receiver Xavier Restrepo has the 6th best odds to win the Fred Biletnikoff Trophy (+1600).

Florida Offense Breakdown

Florida’s offense was 54th in the country in scoring last season, putting up 28.4 points per game. The Gators were 85th in third-down conversion percentage, but their passing game was efficient, ranking 2nd in completion percentage at 72.2%. They also threw for 257.2 yards per game (56th), with a passer rating of 107 (16th) and just five interceptions on the season. In the running game, the Gators were 75th in rushing yards per game, with Montrell Johnson Jr. returning after rushing for 817 yards last season.

Florida also added transfer quarterback Clay Millen from Colorado State to compete with Graham Mertz, who threw for 2878 yards and 20 touchdowns last season at Wisconsin. The Gators averaged 154.5 rushing yards per game last season, which was 75th in the country.

Miami Team Defense

Miami’s defense was solid against the run last season, allowing just 106 rushing yards per game, which ranked 20th in the nation. Overall, they gave up 22.8 points per game, placing them 34th in the country. In the passing game, the Hurricanes allowed 216 yards per game, which was 80th nationally. However, they held opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of just 56.4% (29th).

Miami Team Defense

Florida’s defense allowed 27.6 points per game last season, ranking them 50th in the nation. They struggled against the run, giving up 157.6 rushing yards per game, which put them 100th in college football. In the passing game, the Gators allowed 226.7 yards per game, which was 97th nationally. Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 98.2 against the Gators, and Florida’s defense allowed 8 yards per pass attempt, placing them 122nd in the country.

Miami vs Florida Trends

• In their last three road games, Miami has averaged 23 points per game while allowing 22. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.
• In their last ten games at home, the Florida Gators have a straight up record of 2-8 while going 5-5 vs. the spread. The team averaged 25 points per game in this stretch.
• The last ten games that Florida was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 2-8 straight up.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Miami Hurricanes have a straight up record of 7-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 3-7.

Hurricanes vs Gators Prediction

Our projected final score for the Florida Gators vs. Miami Hurricanes matchup is 31-26 in favor of the Gators. Even though they are the home underdogs, we like their chances to pull off the upset. With Miami being the -2.5 point favorite, we recommend taking Florida to cover the spread and win straight-up.

For the over/under, with the line set at 54 points, our projection of 57 points suggests that taking the over is the best play.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.