In-state rivals open the 150th season of college football when No. 8 Florida meets Miami at 7 p.m. ET at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday.
Expectations are on the rise at Florida under second-year coach Dan Mullen, who led the Gators to 10 wins last season and is hoping for continued development from veteran quarterback Feleipe Franks this season. Miami will have a first-year coach Manny Diaz and first-time starter Jarren Williams at quarterback. The Hurricanes will look to pull the big upset in a game that will start what should be a fun season.
WEEK 1 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread
With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about the Florida-Miami matchup:
How to watch Florida vs. Miami
Florida and Miami will start at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Betting odds for Florida-Miami
Florida is a 7.5-point favorite according to odds at VegasInsider.com. The over/under is set at 47.
Florida-Miami all-time series
Florida and Miami first met in 1938, and the Hurricanes have a 29-26 edge in the all-time series.
Three trends to know
1. The Gators and Hurricanes played every season from 1944-87 before the rivalry took a hiatus. Since the 2000 season, Miami has won five of six meetings, including two bowl games on neutral sites.
2. Florida was 3-3 against the spread as a favorite against Power 5 teams last year, including losses to Kentucky and Missouri.
3. Miami is 1-4 as underdog the last two seasons, with the only game last season a loss to Virginia. The Hurricanes are 3-3 against ranked teams in the same two-year stretch.
MORE: Florida, Miami reportedly agree to home-and-home
Three things to watch
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks. In Florida's last four games of 2018 — all victories — Franks averaged 215.5 passing yards and 44.3 rushing yards to go along with 12 total touchdowns and zero interceptions. If Franks has 250-plus yards of offense, three touchdowns and at most one turnover, then the Gators will be in good shape. The chess match with Miami linebacker Shaq Quarterman, who has averaged more than 10 tackles for loss the last three seasons, will be interesting as well.
Miami's quarterbacks. Williams threw just three passes last season, but he still earned the nod over N'Kosi Perry and transfer Tate Martell, and he will have to be better than Malik Rosier was in the opener against LSU last season. DeeJay Dallas, who averages 5.6 yards per carry over his career at Miami but has never been a full-time back, needs to make an early impact to keep Florida's pass-rush honest.
Big-play receivers. Which team makes the chunk plays through the air? In this game, that means one or two vertical shots to the house. Miami's Jeff Thomas averaged 16.1 yards per catch with three touchdowns last season. Florida's Van Jefferson averaged 14.4 yards per catch with six touchdowns. Those are the two playmakers on the perimeter who have to make a difference.
Stat that matters
Florida ranked in the top 10 in the FBS with a plus-12 turnover ratio in Mullen's first season, a nod to a more-aggressive defense. Miami plummeted to minus-1 last season after popularizing the "Turnover Chain" with a plus-13 ratio in 2017. In a game that should be high on emotions early, the turnover ratio will be that much more important. The Hurricanes need to win this battle to have a chance to pull the upset.
Prediction
Who gets the running game going early to set up those deep shots? Miami allowed just 3.3 yards per carry last season. Florida allowed 4.3. Both teams will come out tight offensively, and it comes down to which quarterback settles in first. Miami might even run a few trick plays early to feed off the first-game emotion. Florida, however, will take control in the second half. Franks will be the difference-maker that leads the Gators' victory.
Final score
Florida 33, Miami 21
