Florida Gators vs USF: Final odds and predictions ahead of potential trap game

After a tune-up against Long Island University, the Florida Gators are set to get a step up in competition inside The Swamp at 4:15 when USF comes to town. The Bulls are coming off an upset win over Boise State and are looking to make it two in a row while also beating Florida for the first time in program history.

Vegas doesn't think this game will be close, but what do we think is actually going to happen?

Florida vs USF Final Odds and Predictions

It's hard to get a great read on Florida's defense as a whole when LIU was just so overmatched in the trenches last week. The secondary for the Gators, which is a potential question mark for this squad, never really got tested and thus is still an unknown heading into this game.

In theory, USF is going to want to test Florida's safeties with deep shots, and if they can hit those, then they have a pathway to stick around. If they can't hit them, the only real option left is for Byrum Brown to scramble because the Gators should have another huge advantage along the trenches, as USF's offensive line did not look great against Boise State.

On the other side, it comes down to whether DJ Lagway continues to shake off the rust and whether Billy Napier has any wrinkles in his offense. One of the reasons why people had a feeling of "meh" with the offense last week is because they took 11 tackles for a loss, and while they still put points on the board, they also benefited from constantly having great field position thanks to the defense and Vernell Brown III's punt returns.

If Lagway can hit the intermediate passes at the rate he did last week, he just needs to sprinkle in a couple of his signature deep shots, and the running game should be wide open for Jadan Baugh to have a field day.

There is no excuse for Florida not to win this game. Up and down the roster, they are the more talented team, even with the handful of injuries that have popped up.

The only caveat should be whether they cover the steep spread of 17.5 points.

Final Predictions