The biggest game of the early football season for college football fans in the state of Florida will take place on Saturday, September 6th at 8 PM EST when the Miami Hurricanes head to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. The early college football predictions are in and we see the Florida Gators –21 point favorites over the Miami Hurricanes with the total set at 52.5.
This game used to be a yearly rivalry, and a heated one at that, but neither team will suit up a single player who has ever faced the opposition. Don't think that they don't know just how important this game will be to football fans in their state though. This game is probably even more important for Gator fans, who haven't picked up a win over Miami in 23 years, going 0-6 against them during that span. The odds makers see things coming out differently this time around however since Miami has dropped off the map of elite programs here the last few years, not making a BCS bowl since 2003.
Miami has a young roster with more than 50% made up of underclassmen, but many of these guys come from the state of Florida, which means they will tie a little additional motivation to coming out on top in this one. As Hurricane running back Javarris James proclaimed, "if we're not ready for that game, we shouldn't be here." Bet on the Miami +21.5 spread at BetUS and get a big signup bonus on your initial deposit.
Even with the heavy motivation coming from both sides, the Gators are heavy favorites to end their losing streak in the series. A big reason for that is they have returning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. He'll be expected to play more in this one after sitting out for most of Florida's 56-10 win over Hawaii. He saw his NCAA-record of having a least one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown snapped at 14 games, even though he completed 9-of-14 for 137 yards and a score while rushing for 37 yards on nine carries. That might be a recurring trend for this season. Last year Tebow was the first player in major college history to rush for and pass for 20 touchdowns in a single season but this year head coach Urban Meyer wants to limit his rushing attempts. This will hopefully keep Tebow from wearing down at the end of the season and risking injury.
The Florida offense should receive a spark with the season debut of speedy wide out Percy Harvin, who was forced to sit out the opener after having heel surgery in the spring. Harvin was the team's top pass catcher a year ago with 59 receptions for 858 yards. He also was second on the team in rushing with 764 yards, finishing behind Tebow's 895. Bet on the Florida -20.5 line at Sportsbook.com using your credit card.
Robert Marve will be making his first start for Miami after having being suspended for the opener due to an arrest last fall. He also was forced to miss the entire 2007 season due to a car crash that left him in poor shape. Marve was one of the top recruits coming out of high school though after having broke many of Tebow's Florida high school passing records.
Miami's defense looked pretty tough in their opener last Thursday night, holding Charleston Southern to just 126 total yards, seven points, and seven first downs. Make sure you check out Jimmy Boyd's college football picks to see which matchups he is taking on this week.
