Florida at Kentucky Line

Written by Steve Janus

The No. 15 Florida Gators will go on the road for the first time this season as they get ready to face the Kentucky Wildcats in SEC East showdown. The Gators improved to 3-0 with an impressive 33-23 win over Tennessee on Saturday, while the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season at home to Louisville 17-24. Florida dismantled Kentucky at home a year ago, beating the Wildcats 48-14.

Looking at the week 4 college football odds, oddsmakers currently have Florida favored by 20-points over Kentucky with the total set at 43 points.

Florida:

Florida really looked good in their win over Tennessee on Saturday, as many people thought the Volunteers had a good shot at winning that game. The final score made the game seem like it was a lot closer than it was. Florida had a 30-7 advantage with 8:08 left in the third quarter and did what it had to hold on for the win. The game could have been a lot worse considering the Gators had to settle for four field goals.

While starting quarterback John Brantley (47 of 72 for 637 yards and 3 TDs) has played well to start the season, the majority of the offense has come from senior Chris Rainey, who had 233 yards of total offense and a touchdown against Tennessee . Rainey leads the team with 306 rushing yards and two touchdowns and is also the leading receiver with 214 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. The next best rusher is Jeff Demps with 163 yards and the closest wide out is Deonte Thompson with seven catches for 93 yards.

Florida defense proved it was for real in their win over the Volunteers. They held Tennessee to just 279 yards of total offense and were once again outstanding against the run. The Volunteers finished with -9 yards rushing on the game. Florida leads the nation in run defense, holding opponents to just 30.7 ypg.

Kentucky:

The Wildcats were upset at home by Louisville last week, but that loss shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise. Kentucky barely beat Western Kentucky 14-3 in the opener and then had to rally to beat Central Michigan the following week.

The Wildcats managed just 290 yards of total offense in the loss against the Cardinals. They did get a nice game out of junior quarterback Morgan Newton, who threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, but the running game was no where to be found. Kentucky managed just 35 yards on 32 attempts. With the way Florida has looked on the defensive side of the ball, Kentucky will be lucky to top their rushing total from last week.

On the other side of the ball, Kentucky hasn’t been all that impressive either. Louisville was their first real test on this side of the ball, and they gave up 327 yards on their home field. Florida piled on 466 yards of total offense against the Wildcats last season, and could be in for an even bigger afternoon this time around.

Betting Trends:

Florida is 22-8 ATS in their last 30 games as a favorite of 10.5 or greater.

Kentucky is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games as a home underdog of 10.5 or greater.

Looking for some expert advice on who to take this week? Be sure to stop back and see who Steve Janus has picked to win in week 4 of college football.

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