Ladies and gentlemen, college football is back! For the next several months, colleges from all across the country will put their blood, sweat, and tears into their craft to try to be the best that the nation has to offer. On Thursday, a pair of teams in the Florida Gators and Utah Utes will go toe-to-toe to kick off their respective seasons in the Beehive State! It is time to check out our college football odds series where our Florida-Utah prediction and pick will be revealed.

After back-to-back Pac 12 Championships and about to play in their final season within the conference before jumping ship to the Big 12 in 2024, the Utes are locked and loaded for another deep run this fall. About to set sail on head coach Kyle Whittingham's 19th season with the program, the Utes were picked to finish third among their Pac-12 peers according

Certainly a make-or-break season in year two of the Billy Napier experiment in Gainesville, the Florida Gators are fresh off of a lousy 6-7 record including getting blown out in the Las Vegas Bowl to Oregon State by a lopsided score of 30-3. After the recent release of the Netflix Documentary “Swamp Kings”, the realization sets in that this Florida football has taken a few steps back since the glory days occurring a decade-plus ago. Still, with some strong recruiting classes under Coach Napier's belt, is 2023 the year where the Gators return to national prominence?

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Florida-Utah Odds

Florida: +4.5 (-115)

Utah: -4.5 (-105)

Over: 44.5 (-105)

Under: 44.5 (-115)

How to Watch Florida vs. Utah

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Florida Will Cover The Spread

With back-to-back losing records for the first time in more than 40 years, Gator Nation has definitely been spoiled to success on the football field. Indeed, fans are starved for some wins, and a statement win over the 14th-ranked Utah Utes would be something special down in the Swamp.

If only it was so easy. Remember, there is a reason why the Gators have fallen upon hard times as of late. For starters, there was simply just a lack of talent in some of the players that former head coach Dan Mullen brought in. Believe it or not, but his final couple of recruiting classes were ranked similarly to Utah who Florida does not often have trouble in recruiting more effectively than. Fast forward to this fall, and the Gators are hoping that there is improved skill and speed on the gridiron. Look no further than an explosive running game to help fuel Florida with some early hope in knocking off the Utes on the road.

Certainly, the outcome that the Gators desire to accomplish all depends on how efficient they are at the quarterback position. As expected, it is extremely difficult to replace an NFL top-five pick in last year's starter Anthony Richardson. Alas, Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz will look to pick up right where he left off in 2022. Despite the Badgers being only 6-6 last fall, Mertz still threw for 19 touchdowns and will need to make some big-time throws in crunch time to get the best of the Utes.

Why Utah Will Cover The Spread

Although the Utes play in the finesse conference of the Pac-12, by no means are they not physical. In fact, they may be one of the more physical teams in the nation. During his long tenure in Salt Lake City, Coach Whittingham has slowly but surely built his team into a hard-nosed squad that forces their will against whoever they play.

Their bruising style is a force to be reckoned with, but the biggest question mark surrounding Utah's ability to cover the spread on Thursday lies on the availability of quarterback Cam Rising. During the Rose Bowl Game against Penn State last season, it was Rising who tore his ACL in devastating fashion. Taking it day by day at this point, it is truly 50-50 if Rising suits up for play. If he does, he will be a major problem for the Gators' defense due to his experience and capability to play turnover-free football.

In addition, this defense is just flat-out nasty. Easily, this side of the football could be the most talented and brutish unit that has played for Whittingham in quite some time. As expected, Florida will want to run the ball right out of the gate to help take the load off of QB Graham Mertz's shoulders. If the Utes stop the run on the early downs and force a multitude of third-and-longs, then Utah will be in fairly good shape.

Final Florida-Utah Prediction & Pick

With a young team like the one that head coach Billy Napier has in Gainesville, there should be some expected growing pains especially when going up against the defending two-time Pac-12 Champions. The Utes should treat their fans to a spread-covering win in the home opener.

Final Florida-Utah Prediction & Pick: Utah -4.5 (-105)