Florida’s loss to Kentucky on Saturday was about as painful as it gets. After nursing a winning streak against the Wildcats that lasted 31 years, the Gators are just 2-2 in their last four games against them. With that loss, Florida could essentially say goodbye to any hopes at an SEC East title or a first-time trip to the College Football Playoff.
But the Gators will enter Saturday’s homecoming game looking to respond, and they couldn’t ask for a better opponent to get things right against than the Vanderbilt Commodores, who are one of the worst teams in the FBS in nearly every offensive and defensive category.
It’s for that reason that CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee predicted that Florida would be able to bounce back in this game and even cover a 38.5-point spread.
Congrats to the Commodores for their thrilling win over UConn last week, but good luck this week against a Florida team that is angry after falling to Kentucky last weekend. The Commodores defense has been awful so far, and Gators coach Dan Mullen will use this opportunity to open up his offense in the hopes that it catches fire down the stretch. Pick: Florida (-38.5)
The Vandy defense has struggled in general, but it’s particularly hapless against the run. Florida still found success on the ground against the Wildcats, but not enough to score consistently. That shouldn’t be a problem against a Commodores front seven that ranks 115th in run defense and only has three sacks on the season, the second-worst mark in the country.
A 38.5-point spread is a ridiculous amount of points to give a conference-opponent underdog, but UF has a very real chance of covering it on Saturday.
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