The UCF Knights (8-4) and Florida Gators (6-6) clash in Thursday night’s Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the UCF vs. Florida odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
UCF is 5-1 over its last six games. A Knights defense that struggled against the run in the first half of the season has improved in that area. Central Florida has allowed more than 140 yards rushing just once over its last six games. But Gus Malzahn‘s squad has also had an easy schedule over the back half of the season, so Thursday’s game against a high-powered UF offense figures to be a step up in class.
Florida running backs coach and special teams coordinator Greg Knox will coach the Gators, a program in transition and headed into the Billy Napier administration after Napier was named head coach earlier this month. Florida went 2-4 straight up and 0-6 against the spread over its last six regular-season games. The Gators do sport an offense that has averaged 470.2 total yards per contest; that ranks 11th in FBS.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
UCF vs. Florida odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Money line: UCF +210 (bet $100 to win $210) | Florida -270 (bet $270 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): UCF +6.5 (-102) | Florida -6.5 (-122)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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UCF vs. Florida odds, lines, picks and predictions
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Prediction
Florida 31, UCF 24
Money line
Take advantage of the narrative that Florida has quit on the season. The Gators had two tough midseason games — losses at LSU and versus No. 1 Georgia — that seemed to sour everything moving forward. But UF was undone by penalties, turnovers, and iffy third-down numbers in setbacks against Missouri and South Carolina.
Florida’s performance in its last game — Nov. 27 vs. Florida State — showed some backbone. The Gator roster is loaded with talented players auditioning for roles in the rollover to the Billy Napier-led 2022 season.
TAKE FLORIDA (-270).
Against the spread
Look for the UF ground game to crank out some big plays, and for a perhaps-better-than-advertised Gator pass defense to help nurse a 6-to-10-point win. A 6-point win comes up as an ATS loss here, but the FLORIDA -6.5 (-110) play is worth an investment.
Over/Under
In UCF’s last 10 games vs. SEC foes, the Under has gone 8-1-1.
Look for the run games to be in charge of this one. BACK THE UNDER 55.5 (-110).
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