The unranked Gators will kick off the 2022 college football season against No. 7 Utah at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday night (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN), the first matchup for these schools since 1977.
Florida has a new head coach on the sidelines this year in former Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Billy Napier. Napier was one of the best coaches in the Sun Belt over the past three seasons, leading the Ragin' Cajuns to double-digit wins each time. He also had one of the more dynamic offenses in the conference, averaging 31.9 points per game.
Napier has the tall task of turning Florida back into a championship contender in the SEC. Napier is replacing Dan Mullen, who was fired last season after the Gators suffered a 24-23 overtime loss to Missouri. Florida finished the regular season with a 6-6 record and lost to UCF in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.
However, Napier won't have to take this journey alone as the Gators' first-year head coach this season. He has an outstanding dual-threat quarterback in Anthony Richardson, who many believe could be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Richardson will be the full-time starter after Emory Jones transferred to Arizona State in the offseason. Richardson made one start last season as a redshirt freshman against Georgia, where he completed 60 percent of his passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 26 rushing yards and left the game with a concussion. The dynamic signal-caller missed five games last season, but still played in seven games.
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Meanwhile, Utah walks into Saturday night's regular-season opener with a lot of hype after how their season ended. The Utes took down Oregon in the Pac-12 title game to finish the regular season (10-3) and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl. Utah did not roll over in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State as they battled to a 48-45 loss in a New Year's Day thriller. Head coach Kyle Whittingham and quarterback Cameron Rising, who made a name for himself in that game are looking to build off last season's momentum and put themselves in a position to make the College Football Playoff.
The Utes are returning 17 starters from last year's team, which bodes well for their success this season. Their defense will be tested by Richardson, but the Gators will have their hands full with Utah running back Tavion Thomas and tight ends Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid.
Below, we break down what you need to know before you bet on this Week 1 matchup between the Utes and Gators.
Utah vs. Florida odds
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
- Spread: Utah -3
- Over/under: 51.5
- Moneyline: Utah -140; Florida +118
Three trends to know
— The Gators are 4-4 straight up in their last eight games as a home underdog, according to Oddshark.
— The Utes are 27-3 against non-conference teams in the regular season since they became members of the Pac-12 in 2011.
— Billy Napier is 12-1 straight up over his career when the over/under is between 49.5-56 points, according to BetQL's Dan Karpuc.
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Three things to watch
— The Anthony Richardson experience: Saturday's game against the Utes will only be the second start in Richardson's collegiate career. He does not get an easy opponent out of the gate as the Utes' defense only allowed 121.1 rushing yards per game, ranking them 18th in the country last season. However, we know that Napier will put Richardson in the best situation to succeed. Napier had a dual-threat quarterback with a similar skill set at Louisiana in Levi Lewis, who was the point guard of their offense -- pointed out by Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan. Richardson could be the same thing this season for Florida while being a plus-one in the running game.
— The Utes' offense vs. the Gators' defense: The Utes have a good offense at QB, RB, and TE. However, they will be going up against an SEC defense, which held quarterbacks to a 57.1 completion percentage last season (21st in the country). Granted, the Gators do not have cornerback Kaiir Elam, who moved onto the NFL, but they still have a ton of veterans in the secondary. Junior Cam Rising will have to play mistake-free football last season, which he did a good amount last season (only five total interceptions). If he does that and gets the ball to his playmakers, Utah could be on the right side of the scoreboard.
— Look out for Justin Shorter: If the Gators want to pull off the upset, they are going to need someone to step up outside of Richardson. That player could be wide receiver Justin Shorter. Shorter was Florida's second-leading receiver last season with 41 receptions for 550 yards and three touchdowns. With Jacob Copeland now at Maryland, Richardson will be looking towards Shorter and Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall to make plays.
Utah vs. Florida prediction
The Utes are coming into this season with a lot of hype and rightfully so. We know that this isn't Whittingham's first rodeo and he'll have his veteran squad ready to play in a tough environment. However, people should not sleep on Napier, who had the Ragin' Cajuns playing tough against Power 5 schools. This game will come down to which quarterback can make the most plays for their team. I believe that quarterback will be Richardson, who can also be dynamic on the ground demonstrated by 401 rush yards last season. This is a small spread, so I'd advise taking the money line for the Gators. Utah is 2-4 ATS in their last six games as road favorites of four points or less. Also, Florida has not lost a home opener since 1989.
Final score: Florida 24, Utah 21; Florida (+3) covers the spread at home, while the total goes under in what should be a close game at the Swamp.
