The Florida Gators are coming off their first loss of the season following a disappointing 17-16 defeat at the hands of LSU. Now they welcome another tough SEC opponent to Gainesville as they get set to host the Texas A&M Aggies. Florida was burned early against the Tigers and ultimately fell just short of rallying back in the second half despite scoring 13 points in the third quarter. The Gators will need a better start this week if they are going to have any chance at bouncing back against the Aggies at home.
Details
Odds: Florida -3
Date & Time: October 14th, 2017 – 7:00 PM ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
Broadcast: ESPN2
Reasons To Bet On The Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M has relied heavily on a rushing attack that ranks 23rd in the country with an average of 224.8 yards per game this season. Trayveon Williams and Keith Ford have combined to average nearly 5.0 yards per carry while rushing for 743 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Kellen Mond has added another 266 rushing yards to the Aggies total as they continue to effectively run plenty of option routes. Considering the way that the LSU running game carved up Florida last week there is a good chance Texas A&M will stick with the run game and continue to try to pound the football. The Aggies might have lost to Alabama last week but they gave the top-ranked team in the country its toughest test yet. A&M has the talent to upset Florida on the road and as long as Mond protects the football and the offense continues to move the football effectively on the ground, the Aggies have a legitimate chance to win this game outright.
Reasons To Bet On The Florida Gators
The Gators kept finding ways to win games until they didn’t. Florida struggled to move the ball consistently on offense and squandered an impressive defensive effort in the process on the way to a 17-16 loss. A botched extra-point attempt came back to haunt them but in the end the reality is that they haven’t been nearly good enough on offense. The Gators passing attack has averaged just 191.8 yards per game through the air and the lack of a consistent passing threat has limited what they are capable of doing on that side of the football. A&M has been excellent at stopping the run this season so Saturday will represent another tough test for the Florida offense.
Outlook
We’ve seen a little bit of movement on this betting line as the Gators opened up as four-point favorites at BetDSI but have since come down to -3. The line has bounced around from -4 to -3.5, then down to -3, and while it has come back up to -4 at times, it seems like the early consensus is on the Aggies. The total has also seen a slight move as it opened up at 52.5 but is now down to 51.
While the Gators have managed to squeeze out some close wins early on this season, they finally hit a wall last week against LSU and it won’t be easy to recover. Looking back, this doesn’t look like a very good team. They barely beat Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Tennessee, and lost to a Michigan team that has proven to be quite weak. While this team is 3-2, that even seems a bit generous given their performance on the field.
A&M will do everything they can to take away the Florida run game and force them to try to throw the ball in order to move it. Meanwhile, the Aggies have the weapons to move the ball both through the air and on the ground this week. As long as they don’t turn the football over, Texas A&M should have a good chance to win this game. At the very least, the Aggies will cover as three-point road underdogs against a Florida side that struggled to put up points last week. Take the Aggies plus the points.
Prediction: Texas A&M +3
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