After a strong week one showing to kick off the [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] era in Gainesville, the Florida Gators are favored to beat the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats in week two by the folks at CBS Sports.
When picking a winner straight-up, all seven of CBS Sports’ experts chose the Gators, but it was a tougher decision to pick UF against the spread. In the end, only Dennis Dodd and Barrett Sallee think Florida will win it by a touchdown or more, but Chip Patterson offered some insight as to why the rest of the group held off.
“I feel confident that Florida is going to win the game, but I don’t love the number on the spread (Florida minus-6),” Patterson said. “If the Gators win by a field goal, the Wildcats cover, and this absolutely could end up being a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. That’s why I’m going with the total hitting the under. A close and competitive game could have both teams playing a little tight and lead to lower scores coming down the stretch.”
Patterson’s logic is sound, but it’s a bit bold to pick the under when you have two quarterbacks with first-round grades going at it. There was also no mention of Kentucky being down a starting running back, which has to hurt the team’s ability to score.
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