Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators College Football Betting Preview
Two SEC teams trending in opposite directions meet over Thanksgiving weekend as the No. 6 Florida Gators (6-1) host the Kentucky Wildcats (3-5). These teams usually meet in September and play in-state rivals at the end of November but the 2020 schedule has everything flipped around. The Saturday, November 28 contest kicks off at Noon ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. and will be televised on ESPN.
These teams have met every year since 1967 and this will be the first November meeting since 1991. Florida leads the series 52-18 and they have a 38-2 lead since 1980. Florida won last year on the road 29-21 and Kentucky ended a 31-year losing streak against the Gators with a win in Gainesville in 2018.
Kentucky Wildcats Betting Outlook: Challenge the Florida Defense
Gameadvisers has the Wildcats are 3-5 ATS this season and the under is 5-3 in their eight games. They are 1-3 ATS on the road this season with losses by 60, 10 and 16 and the under-hit in three of their four road games. Kentucky ranks 120th in the nation in total offense (300.3 ypg) and 106th in scoring (20.1 ppg).
Just about nothing went right for the Wildcats at Alabama on Saturday as they lost 63-3. The defense allowed 283 passing yards, 226 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. The offense generated just 120 passing yards, 59 rushing yards and went 2-for-13 on third down.
Quarterback Terry Wilson was just 10-for-19 passing for 120 yards with an interception. He was held to just five rushing yards on five attempts while the other two Kentucky quarterbacks were a combined 0-for-6 passing. On the season Wilson has thrown for 829 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 339 yards and four scores.
Christopher Rodriguez missed the Alabama game and he leads Kentucky on the season with 562 yards and six touchdowns. In his place, Asim Rose Jr. ran 10 times for 68 yards and Kavosiey Smoke ran nine times for 26 yards. Rose has 359 yards on the year while Smoke has 137.
Josh Ali caught four balls for 52 yards against Alabama while Keaton Upshaw had three catches for 44 yards. Ali leads the Wildcats for 37 catches for 392 yards in 2020. Upshaw leads the team with two touchdowns and has 10 catches for 134 yards.
Florida Gators Betting Outlook: Keep Trask Rolling
Betting the Gators are 5-3 ATS this season and the over is 5-2 in their seven games. The Gators have won by 28, 24 and 14 at home so far this season. Florida has scored at least 38 points in every game this season and their streak of 40+ point games ended at three with a 38-17 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Quarterback Kyle Trask had another big day Saturday at Vanderbilt with 383 passing yards and three touchdowns. He has moved into the Heisman race conversation with a SEC record 31 touchdowns through the first seven games of the season. On the year Trask has 2,554 passing yards with just three interceptions and he has completed over 70% of his passes.
Running back Dameon Pierce ran 11 times for 55 yards and a score against Vanderbilt as the Gators racked up 173 rushing yards from nine different players. Pierce has 354 yards on the season with three touchdowns while Malik Davis has 175 rushing yards.
Tight end Kyle Pitts missed his second straight game Saturday with a concussion and he is questionable to play against Kentucky. In his absence, Kadarius Toney had six catches for 107 yards and a score while Kemore Gamble caught two touchdowns. Tre Grimes scored as well while Justin Shorter caught five balls for 94 yards.
On the season Pitts has 24 catches for 414 yards and eight scores in five games. Toney has caught 42 passes for 503 yards and seven scores while Grimes has 22 catches for 347 yards and six touchdowns.
Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators Betting Line
Head to our favorite pay per head bookie site at realbookies.com where the Gators are favored by 21.5 points with a total of 58.5 points. Kentucky is a +1200 moneyline underdog to pull off a road upset.
Betting Analysis
Kentucky has scored just 16 total points against their last three opponents with a winning record and will be hard pressed to keep up with the Gators. Trask has been in a zone all season and has an assortment of weapons, especially if Pitts returns. The difference in this one being close or turning into a blowout will be if the Florida defense contains the run game.
Free Pick: Gators -21.5 (-110)
