Florida Gators Football 2020 Betting Preview
Could 2020 finally be the year the Gators reclaim the division title from the Georgia Bulldogs? Last season, the Gators finished 11-2, and the good news is that starting quarterback Kyle Trask returns for another season after throwing for 2,941 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2019. Now a fifth-year senior, Trask isn’t considered a top NFL prospect for the 2021 draft in early projections and 2020 will be more difficult after losing his top two pass-catchers in Van Jefferson and Freddie Swain, but he does have the support of the Executive Director of the Reese's Senior Bowl Jim Nagy.
AllGators reporter Zach Goodall recently highlighted that Trask is the Epitome of Dedication:
“It's not clear what will come next for Trask, or college football in general amidst the coronavirus, but his unique rise to stardom can also present an alternate line of thinking to those who look to the transfer portal if a position battle doesn't go their way whenever the next whistle blows.”
According to PointsBet sportsbook, their season win total projection stands at 10 wins with moderate juice of -135 to the over.
2020 Florida Win Total Odds
Odds courtesy of PointsBet
2020 Florida Gators Schedule
Week 1 - Sept. 5 vs Eastern Washington
Week 2 - Sept. 12 vs Kentucky
Week 3 - Sept. 19 vs South Alabama
Week 4 - Sept. 26 at Tennessee
Week 5 - Oct. 3 vs South Carolina
Week 6 - Oct. 10 vs LSU
Week 7 - Oct. 17 at Ole Miss
Week 8 - BYE
Week 9 - Oct. 31 vs Georgia (Jacksonville)
Week 10 - Nov. 7 at Vanderbilt
Week 11 - Nov. 14 vs Missouri
Week 12 - Nov. 21 vs New Mexico State
Week 13 - Nov. 28 at Florida State
The Gators should not have issues out of the gate, with four out of their first five games at home in Gainesville. In Week 2 they are 14-point home favorites over Kentucky, followed up by 7-point road favorites in Tennessee.
In Week 6, Florida will have their toughest test of the early portion of the season with the oddsmakers installing them as a 3.5-point home favorite against the LSU Tigers. But the Gators will be matching up against a much different LSU team compared to the one that went undefeated and won the national title last season. Despite all the changes on both sides of the ball, the oddsmakers are predicting that LSU will still likely be a tough challenge for Florida, even in the Swamp.
Further down the schedule, the Gators will come out their bye week with a brutal matchup against the powerful Bulldogs on Halloween. In a game that could very well decide the winner of the SEC East (hosted at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville), the oddsmakers envision the Gators coming up short, with an early line of them being 3.5-point road underdogs.
Florida will close up the season with two of the final three games in the Swamp as 17.5-point home favorites over Missouri, followed up by a regular season finale against in-state rival Florida State in a matchup the oddsmakers feel will be no issue for the Gators as 10.5-point favorites over the Seminoles.
Florida Odds to Win SEC East Division
Odds courtesy of PointsBet
Florida is listed as the second choice to win the SEC East. Georgia remains a slight favorite in this market at odds of -110, slightly ahead of the Gators (+120). There is a massive gap beyond the top two contenders with the remaining teams consisting of: Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt with healthy double-digit odds.
Florida Odds to Win Southeastern Conference
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
With projections that envision a potential two-loss regular season, the sportsbooks are offering Florida as the third overall betting choice in this market at odds of 6/1 to emerge as SEC Champions for the first time since 2008. All bettors who believe in Florida to win the SEC Championship Game will see a return of $600 on every $100 wagered.
Odds for Florida Players to Win 2020 Heisman Trophy
As we have previously highlighted here at SI Gambling, Florida currently has only one player listed in the Heisman Trophy odds at William Hill: quarterback Kyle Trask (30/1). The University of Florida has had three Heisman winners in school history, all quarterbacks. Steve Spurrier won in 1966, Danny Wuerffel in 1996 and Tim Tebow in 2007. The Gators haven’t had a top-three Heisman finisher since Tebow finished third in 2008.
Florida Odds to Win 2020-21 College Football Playoff
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
After a deeper dive, the oddsmakers only have the Gators listed as underdogs in one game (vs. Georgia at TIAA Bank Field) with some potentially favorable matchups down the stretch. I landed on a projection of a 11-1 or 10-2 SU record thanks to a pretty favorable schedule that sees seven of 12 games in the friendly confines of The Swamp. The odds of 18/1 for Florida to win the College Football Playoff fails to offer enough value with too many question marks and the strength of Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama.
According to the odds, I land upon at most a two-loss season for the Gators in 2020. Therefore, of all of the available Florida betting markets on the board, the best value is the Gators emerging with no less than 10 wins. That makes a season win total market, which is set at 10 juiced to the over at odds of -135, a total “free-roll” if Florida can somehow earn a split of their two toughest games (LSU and Georgia) and possibly emerge with an 11-win season.
The Play: OVER 10 wins (-135)
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