Florida is dealing with a ton of roster changes as players depart for the NFL and hit the transfer portal, but there’s still a bowl game to be played on Saturday and CBS Sports thinks the depleted Gators have a shot to keep the game closer than many are expecting.
CBS Sports has the Gators losing to Oregon State by just three points this weekend, 24-21, despite the Beavers entering the game as a two-score favorite. Both teams are down a starting quarterback, so the assumption here is that neither offense will be particularly effective.
“Considering how inefficient the Gators’ offense was all year (79th nationally in success rate), it’s hard to imagine things improving without the one player who seemed capable of making something out of nothing,” CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli wrote.
That might be writing off the tandem of [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] in Florida’s backfield, but their success is not guaranteed this weekend with the anchor of the offensive line, right guard O’Cyrus Torrence, sitting out.
The good news is that Oregon State’s best quarterback is in the transfer portal and the Beavers’ offense “hasn’t been great,” with Ben Gulbranson under center. Florida’s defense will return most of its regular starters, but it’s been an up-and-down year for that side of the ball and there’s no telling which version will be on the field Saturday. That matchup should be the difference-maker in this one.
It’s no surprise to see CBS Sports peg this game to be “an ugly, low-scoring affair,” but Florida could pull off an upset that ends the first year of the Napier era on a positive note.
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