Two in-state rivals in the sunshine state clash this Saturday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida when the Miami Hurricanes host the No. 12 Florida Gators. Florida is currently a 3-point road favorite, despite the OddsShark.com computer prediction that sides with the Hurricanes (26-16).
Miami vs. Florida betting odds, preview and pick
The Florida-Miami rivalry is finally something terrific again. The Gators are small road favorites against the Canes, although the prediction computer picks Miami to win.
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The Gators put together arguably the most impressive resume in college football during the regular season last year, going 11-1 SU and 7-5 ATS with wins at Texas A&M, at Florida State and at home against South Carolina.
The defense carried the Gators all year long, and after a 24-6 win in Week 1 against a strong offensive team in Toledo, that is expected to be the recipe for success again in 2013. With an ineffective passing game under Jeff Driskel, the Gators will rely heavily on Mack Brown and Matt Jones in the running game on offense.
With Georgia’s Week 1 loss, Florida could force its way into odds to win the national championship discussion if it continues to win impressively.
The Miami Hurricanes coasted to an easy 34-6 win against Florida Atlantic in Week 1, showing off their star in the making Duke Johnson in the process. Johnson rushed for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman last season on just 139 carries, and will have a much bigger workload this year.
He rushed for 186 yards on 19 carries against FAU last week. Coupled with QB Stephen Morris, this should be a strong offense this year; the big question mark for the Hurricanes is the defense. Miami finished 108th in the nation last year, allowing 478.5 total yards per game.
Miami is 4-1 SU and ATS in its last five games against Florida, but those four wins came from 2001-2004. The most recent game between the two schools was in 2008, which Florida won 26-3.
This is an interesting matchup as it pits strength against strength in Florida’s defense vs. Miami’s offense and weakness against weakness in Florida’s offense vs. Miami’s defense. But until Florida’s defense gives us a reason not to, we’re going to look for the Gators to keep squeaking out wins on tough opponents.
PICK: Florida -3, computer prediction is 26-16 Miami - follow us on Twitter for more predictions and injury updates
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