The FAU Owls and Florida Gators meet Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the FAU vs. Florida odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Florida enters the season at No. 11 in the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
FAU won five of eight games last season before falling in its bowl game to Memphis. The Owls trail the all-time series against the Gators 3-0, but lost just 20-14 in overtime in the most recent meeting in 2015.
Florida is aiming for bigger things than just a win in the opener. Head coach Dan Mullen must replace QB Kyle Trask, TE Kyle Pitts and WR Kadarius Toney, but QB Emory Jones could make the transition relatively seamless.
FAU at Florida odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: FAU +850 (bet $100 to win $850) | Florida -1800 (bet $1,800 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): FAU +23.5 (-112) | Florida -23.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 52.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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FAU at Florida odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Florida 34, FAU 20
Money line
Risking 18 times your potential return on Florida (-1800) is not a good long-term betting strategy.
AVOID, and look to the spread instead.
Against the spread
FAU +23.5 (-112) is the play, although I fully expect Florida to win this game. The problem with the Gators isn’t on offense, even though they’re replacing three big cogs. The issue with Florida is it allowed 30.8 points per game and 6.1 yards per play, and that defense needs to be shored up.
Florida added a number of recruits and transfers through the portal, but we need to see them jell together before they can be trusted.
FAU has former Miami QB N’Kosi Perry starting under center, so he should give the unit a much-needed improvement. The Owls defense ranked second in Conference USA with 17.4 PPG allowed, so they could slow down the Gators and their new skill position guys.
Over/Under
OVER 52.5 (-107) is a bit on the low side, but I’d only go with a small-unit wager here. Again, the Gators defense was putrid by their standards in 2020, and the Owls should be able to find the end zone at least a couple of times.
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