Florida football: Gators vs. Hurricanes + Week 0 Preview

College football is upon us and has been kind enough to bestow two Week 0 games to kick off its 150th season. Will Florida football take care of business against Miami? Predictions and breakdowns of this week’s big games below.

Miami at Florida football (Orlando), 7:00 PM ET, ESPN

Spread (via OddsShark): Florida -7.5

New head coach, new quarterback, new year, new U!

The New Miami #TNM has been all over Miami Twitter this offseason. 2019 is a fresh start after a dismal finish to the Mark Richt era in Coral Gables.

Canes fans feel the major issues from 2018 have been addressed and the team can quickly revert back to their successful 2017 formula which relied heavily on a vaunted defense and an offense that made plays when needed.

Much of that recovery will rely on new QB Jarren Williams. It’s not asking much for Williams to improve on last year’s quarterback play, but is it asking too much to expect Williams to come out in the first game and perform against what is expected to be a stout Florida defense?

Miami’s offensive line features three new starters including two freshman tackles to face an experienced Gators front.

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Florida defensive end Jabari Zuniga highlights a defensive line that includes Kyree Campbell, Adam Shuler, and Louisville graduate transfer, Jon Greenard. Expect redshirt junior Jeremiah Moon and 6’4″, 263 lb redshirt sophomore Zachary Carter to see plenty of action coming off the edge.

If the Gators can get consistent pressure on Williams, it would help a secondary that has lost some depth during the offseason.

Corners C.J. Henderson and Marco Wilson, coming off an ACL injury, are expected to hold their own on the outside, Trey Dean III has elicited praise for his performance in the spring and during fall camp at the Star position, but there is little doubt that a group of freshman defensive backs (Hill, Kimbrough, and Elam) will be relied upon at some point.

The key defender for the Gators on Saturday night may end up being Amari Burney.

If Burney, who is listed as an athlete and lines up at linebacker and the Star position, can keep Miami TE Brevin Jordan quiet, Florida can force Williams to make tough throws to the outside against Henderson and Wilson and the Gators should be able to force some turnovers.

Unlike the unproven Diaz, Dan Mullen enters in year two riding a wave of momentum from a strong finish to his first season in Gainesville.

Quarterback Feleipe Franks is a huge reason for the optimism surrounding the Gators. After struggling through most of his career, Franks seemed to click in Mullen’s system toward the end of last season and some are calling him a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

For those who are hesitant to hop on the Franks-train, the surrounding cast should inspire plenty of confidence.

A stacked backfield featuring running backs Lamical Perine, Malik Davis, Dameon Pierce and Iverson Clement should provide the Gators with a strong ground game and keep balance needed to keep the Canes pass rush at bay.

Couple the strong running game with the best receiving corps to have worn the Orange and Blue since the days of Harvin, Murphy, and Cooper and the 2019 Gators have what looks to be an explosive offense.

Wide receiver depth and experience will be the Gators biggest matchup edge on Saturday against a young Miami secondary. Outside of returning CB Trajan Bandy, Miami is breaking in a whole new secondary. Look for Florida football wide receivers Van Jefferson, Kadarius Toney, and Trevon Grimes to have big days and a supporting cast of Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond, and Freddie Swain to contribute as well.

The biggest questions surrounding the Florida offense center around the offensive line. Four starters from 2018 have departed, but redshirt senior center Nick Buchanan’s remaining presence could help ease the transition.

Expect Miami’s stout defensive front to test the Gators offensive line early as Mullen will likely try to establish a running game. Between Miami’s defensive line and experience at linebacker, this is not worth the trouble and Mullen should eventually favor the matchup between Florida’s experienced wideouts against Miami’s inexperienced secondary.

The first game of the season is usually a sloppy affair, but if Florida can minimize the mistakes, look for the Gators to cruise easily in this game.

Florida starts slow in this one but gathers its footing and reels off a big second half en route to a double-digit victory over Diaz and #TNM.

Pick: Florida 27-13

Other games worth watching this weekend:

Arizona at Hawaii, 10:30 PM ET, CBSSN

Spread (via OddsShark): Arizona -11

Sumlin and Tate disappointed in year one, but should at least go bowling in year two. Hawaii returns QB McDonald ensuring that this game will be a high scoring affair.

Pick: Arizona 55-38