The Florida Atlantic Owls take on the Florida Gators in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 5. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
Florida is favored by -26.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -4500. FAU, meanwhile, enters as a +26.5 underdog and is +1600 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 59.5 total points.
Here’s my FAU vs. Florida prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 5.
FAU vs Florida Prediction
- FAU vs. Florida Pick: Florida -26.5
My Florida vs. FAU best bet is on the Gators to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
FAU vs Florida Odds
| FAU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+26.5 -105 | 59.5 -106o / -114u | +1600 |
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-26.5 -115 | 59.5 -106o / -114u | -4500 |
- FAU vs Florida point spread: Florida -26.5 (-115), FAU +26.5 (-105)
- FAU vs Florida over/under: 59.5 (-106o / -114u)
- FAU vs Florida moneyline: FAU +1600, Florida -4500
FAU vs Florida College Football Preview
FAU Owls Betting Preview: One-Sided Football
FAU head coach Zach Kittley hopes that this season is better than the last.
The Owls went 4-8 last season, with a porous 3-5 record in the American Conference; however, they received a beam of light during the offseason.
Quarterback Caden Veltkamp returns to Boca Raton with his sights set on letting the Owls fly.
Veltkamp led all of college football by averaging 29 completions per game, but the problem was that he led in interceptions with 17. The difference is, FAU's run game last season was so ineffective that it had no choice but to chuck it up.
I think what's even more fascinating was that even with those 17 interceptions, Veltkamp still held on to a 67% completion rate.
He will have a few familiar faces lining up beside him in leading receiver Easton Messer, who registered over 1,000 yards, as well as Branden Hoch and Dom Henry. Additionally, Kelby Valsin from Texas Tech comes in to round out the receiver room.
FAU's defense is where I'm extra concerned. On top of ranking 134th in points allowed, FAU croaked in every aspect.
The run defense was especially mortifying to watch, as the Owls were 131st in PPA, 123rd in Success Rate alloweda and 122nd in explosiveness allowed.
Facing a team that has one of the best running backs in the game should strike fear into the Owls, because the offense can only do so much.
Florida Gators Betting Preview: Stability in the Swamp
New head coach Jon Sumrall is opening the floor for some positivity among Gator Nation.
With his over-the-top personality, it was clear that he stole the show at SEC Media Days, and he's apparently been clicking with his team.
However, there will be some growing pains in the first season with Sumrall at the helm. Florida has long dealt with instability, but there's reason to believe that this debut season in the SEC will help keep the donors happy.
Georgia Tech transfer quarterback Aaron Philo will lead the offense and already has familiarity with new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner's system.
It sounds like Philo has been fitting in well in Gainesville, as star running back Jadan Baugh was overjoyed with the command he has for the offense.
Last season, Georgia Tech had one of the most efficient offenses in college football, ranking 10th in standard downs Success Rate, and 19th in PPA.
What really stood out to me was how well Faulkner integrated the run game into the scheme, which should bring out the absolute best in a guy like Baugh — a projected first-rounder in this upcoming NFL Draft.
Brad White comes in from Kentucky as Florida's new defensive coordinator. When you look at the Wildcats last season, their defense was bottom of the barrel.
However, Florida's defensive talent seems to be in better shape than Kentucky's was, and it's mostly intact from last season.
Defensive tackle Brendan Bett and linebacker Myles Graham come back after career years, but the one player I'll be interested to see is how UCLA transfer defensive back Kanye Clark fares.
FAU vs Florida Pick, Betting Analysis
I really want to believe that the Owls are bound to turn over a new leaf, but I've yet to see any improvements in the defense.
Kittley kept on defensive coordinator Brett Dewhurst and transfer linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. out of Kansas will certainly be a boost against the run, but I don't think that will be enough.
Baugh has proven to take over games, as seen in the Gators' final game against Florida State, when he rushed for 266 yards.
I also think Philo will shine, given his familiarity with Faulkner's system.
The lines point to Florida being a 26.5-point favorite, and our projections align with that, giving the Gators the 25-point edge.
That's more than enough for me to believe that Florida can stretch this out into an all-out beatdown against a poor defensive squad.
Pick: Florida -26.5
FAU vs Florida Betting Trends
