Florida vs. Utah: Info, Odds, Where to Watch and More
The Billy Napier era of Florida football starts today,
The Florida Gators are set to host the No. 7 Utah Utes this evening, kicking off their first season under their new head coach with a challenge unlike anything Napier's predecessors faced during their first game with the orange and blue.
You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.
Florida Gators vs. No. 7 Utah Utes
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla.
When: Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7:00 P.M. ET
Watch: ESPN | fuboTV (start your free trial)
Weather: 79° with 83 percent humidity and a 49 percent chance of precipitation at kickoff, per Weather.com.
Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network, Sirius Channel: 158/202
Odds: Utah is considered a 2.5-point favorite over Florida, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook, inching half a point in the Gators' favor since Thursday. The over/under is set at 51.5 points.
Series history: Florida leads, 1-0. The Gators defeated the Utes, 38-29, when the programs last met on Nov. 19, 1977, at Florida Field.
Important stories
- Picks and predictions for Florida vs. Utah
- Anthony Richardson is Florida's X-Factor vs. Utah
- Visitors list of recruits attending Gators vs. Utes
- Who are the Gators' captains for the season-opener?
- Billy Napier, Gators understand tough task ahead vs. Utah
- Key matchups for Week 1
- Takeaways from UF's first depth chart...
- ...and Utah's depth chart
- Billy Napier shares Gators' injury report
- Gators' position battles expected to carry into the season
- SI: How desperate is Florida for a quick turnaround?
The rundown
Napier is the fourth head coach Florida has hired since Urban Meyer stepped down and hopes to be the first to, finally, lead the Gators back to the promised land that Meyer helped UF rediscover in 2006 and 2008.
That journey starts with a season and tenure-opening game unlike anything Dan Mullen, Jim McElwain and Will Muschamp — the last three coaches to try — ever faced. Each of their first games at UF came against lower-level programs from the Sun Belt and Big South Conferences.
Napier's, meanwhile, begins with the reigning Pac-12 champion Utes, the No. 7 squad in the nation entering 2022 that returns ample experienced talent on both sides of the ball.
UF's roster isn't in similar shape, with 34 players having been acquired from various levels of football throughout Napier's first offseason in charge. 19 freshmen (redshirt and true) can be found across Florida's depth chart, with 13 labeled as co-second-teamers or higher standing.
With a lot of question marks pertaining to skill level and depth across the roster, Florida has put its faith in one player as a make-or-break contributor entering the campaign: Quarterback Anthony Richardson, a product of Gainesville's Eastside High School who, despite only having one career start under his belt, is already consistently projected as a top-ten pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Gators will need Richardson to prove his worth immediately in their new offensive scheme in order to pull off an upset on Saturday evening and contend on a weekly basis moving forward.
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