Viva Las Vegas! The Florida Gators will take on the Oregon State Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium in Sin City. It’s time to continue our college football odds series with a Florida-Oregon State prediction and pick.
Despite lofty preseason expectations, new head coach Billy Napier has guided the Gators to a 6-6 record, going 3-5 in SEC play. The Gators ended the season on a two-game losing streak. In the Swamp, Florida was a strong 5-2, but struggled when they played on the road.
Oregon State surprised some and coasted to a 9-3 record, going 6-3 in the Pac-12. The Beavers ended their season on a three-game winning streak. Head coach Jonathan Smith was rewarded with a new six-year, $30 million dollar contract extension from his alma mater.
Here are the Florida-Oregon State college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Las Vegas Bowl Odds: Florida-Oregon State Odds
Florida Gators: +9.5 (-104)
Oregon State Beavers: -9.5 (-118)
Over: 52.5 (-115)
Under: 52.5 (-105)
Why Florida Could Cover The Spread
Well, Anthony Richardson will not play in this one, opting instead to prepare for the NFL Draft in April. Instead, Jack Miller will be the starting quarterback, the school announced via the depth chart they released. Miller did not appear in any games during the regular season. Miller is a former four-star quarterback recruit in the class of 2020. Montrell Johnson, Jr. leads the team with 827 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Freshman Trevor Etienne is second with 705 rushing yards, scoring six touchdowns. The Gators have totaled 2,564 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns as a team. Oregon State allowed just 114.0 rushing yards per game to their opponents.
Ricky Pearsall leads the team with 596 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. It is unclear what the plan will be for Miller, who has not thrown a pass for Florida after transferring from Ohio State. Miller has played sparingly in his two previous college seasons. The Gators have averaged 31.8 points and 441.2 yards of offense per game.
Florida's defense has been a bit porous, allowing 28.8 points and 415.8 yards of offense per game to opponents. The Gators have sacked opponents just 21 times, and Oregon State has only allowed 12 sacks. The Gators will have a tall task in stopping Oregon State.
Why Oregon State Could Cover The Spread
Ben Gulbranson will be the starting quarterback with Chance Nolan in the transfer portal. Gulbranson has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,290 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. Gulbranson has also rushed for four touchdowns. Damien Martinez leads the team with 970 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Deshaun Fenwick is also tied for the team lead with seven touchdown rushes. Jam Griffin is second with 486 rushing yards, adding three touchdown rushes. Florida has allowed 176.2 rushing yards per game to opponents.
Luke Musgrave, the star tight end, is opting out to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft, in which he is projected to be a top three-round pick. Tre'Shaun Hamilton leads the team with 604 receiving yards and four touchdown catches. The Beavers have averaged 32.4 points and 399.6 yards of offense per game.
Oregon State's defense has been solid, allowing 21.4 points and 342.3 yards of offense per game to opponents this season. The Beavers have totaled 16 sacks and 12 interceptions this season. Facing an inexperienced quarterback, the pass rush will be counted on.
Final Florida-Oregon State Prediction & Pick
Opt-outs suck, and with no Anthony Richardson, Oregon State probably has a chance to win in a blowout.
Final Florida-Oregon State Prediction & Pick: Oregon State -9.5 (-118), over 52.5 (-115)
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