College Football: Florida Gators at Missouri Tigers

By BetOnline November 12, 2019

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The Florida Gators have been one of the best teams in the country this season. They’ve beaten the teams they’re supposed to beat but lost to No. 5 LSU and No. 8 Georgia. This week, they’ll face a team that’s come completely unglued. The Missouri Tigers were once 5-1 and were ranked in the Top 25, but have since lost three in a row. Can they turn the tide and get a signature win or will Florida push then to .500 on the season?

FLORIDA GATORS AT MISSOURI TIGERS
CFB ODDS: FLORIDA -7
CFB TOTAL: 48.5

WHY THE GATORS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Missouri offense was rolling along in the middle of October, having scored at least 31 points in each of its first six games while averaging 39 points per outing. Then starting quarterback Kelly Bryant got hurt and everything turned. They have scored a combined total of 21 points in their last three games, an average of seven points per game and they’re simply struggling as they have gone through the meat of their SEC schedule. The low-point came last week when Georgia shut them out 27-0. Bryant is probably going to play in this game against Florida but he’s nowhere near 100 percent. It will be tough sledding for Missouri’s offense against one of the top defenses in the country.

Meanwhile, Florida is coming off a decisive 56-0 win over Vanderbilt in a game where they didn’t really play all that well in the first half. Their sloppiness got in the way of their progress at times, but when it comes to playing Vanderbilt, not much effort is needed. Kyle Trask has been solid yet unspectacular at the quarterback position but he’s steadied the role. There is the threat of a pass now and against a soft Missouri defense, he should find success.

WHY THE TIGERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The return of Kelly Bryant is the big plus for the Tigers this week. Bryant was a game-time decision against Georgia, so if he was questionable for that game, another week of rest should enable him to be ready for the Gators. With him back, Missouri has a real chance to redefine its offense and return to the standard it set early in the season. If the Tigers do return to their September standard, they have a very good chance to cover the spread.

There’s no question that Missouri has fallen short of expectations this season but a win over a Top 10 program would be a huge feather in their cap. They finish up with Tennessee and Arkansas, so if they can win this game, they’re likely going to win-out and finish 8-4. Expect them to treat this contest like it’s their biggest game of the year.

Florida is a Top 10 team but they are beatable. They didn’t look very good against Georgia two weeks ago, struggling to convert third downs and scoring only 10 points in the game’s first 55 minutes. They were sloppy last week against Vanderbilt too. If that’s the team that shows up, Missouri will have a shot here.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE TOTAL

The Bryant factor could lead to a resurgence for the Missouri offense but he’s not the be-all, end-all for this team. They’ve struggled offensively over the last month and even if he’s back, he’s going up against a rugged defense. As for Florida, they’ll be running the ball plenty and milking the clock.