NCAA Football Betting – Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators
The Florida Gators (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS), who are on a scoring roll and just blew out previously third-ranked LSU, stay at home on Saturday night as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats (5-2 SU, 3-3 ATS) in SEC action that is set to take place at 12:30 PM ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (natural turf) in Gainesville, FL.
Saturday, October 25
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: FLORIDA -25
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* KY has won six of its last eight games SU
* KY has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
* KY has covered seven of its last nine road games
* KY has lost 19 of its last 25 road games SU
* KY has played four of its last five road games UNDER the total
* FLA has covered eight of its last 11 games
* FLA has won five of its last six games SU
* FLA has won 21 of its last 25 home games SU
* FLA has played six of its last nine home games OVER the total
Also….
* KY is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings
* FLA has won the last 21 meetings SU
* KY has covered four of the last five meetings as the home team
* FLA has won the last seven meetings SU as the home team
Should its 21-20 win over Arkansas, achieved in come-from-behind fashion, be construed as a “buy” sign for the Wildcats? Don’t think so. Arkansas has improved a but, but the Hogs are still one of the SEC’s worst sides, and Kentucky’s act is hardly that explosive, especially as wide receiver Dicky Lyons is gone from the lineup (torn knee ligaments). We’re not high on erratic quarterback Mike Hartline (4 INT’s in last two games), whose passes have gone for an anemic 5.3 yards per clip! And Derrick Locke, the leading rusher and second leading receiver, has also torn up his knee and is unavailable the rest of the way.
This marks a sharp contrast with Florida, which is now calling on a multitude of speedy weapons, including freshman Jeffrey Demps, who broke a few against LSU in last week’s blowout (51-21) win, and has rushed for 232 yards in the last two weeks. Tim Tebow is throwing less (149 attempts) but he’s been efficient (10 TD’s, only one INT). And Kentucky certainly doesn’t need to see Percy Harvin (112 yards receiving vs. LSU) heating up again.
We don’t want to doubt that Kentucky (11.9 ppg allowed), who yielded just 22 points in its first four games, has some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. But they haven’t had to deal with this much quickness yet, not by a long shot.
There are interesting dynamics in terms of the technical numbers. Kentucky has lost a whopping 21 straight games to Florida, yet the Wildcats have covered five of the last six meetings. That is obviously because the impost has been sufficiently high in each. Can Florida run away and hide? Well, the Gators have an average victory margin of almost 31 points, and Kentucky is somewhat crippled offensively. Yes, we think so, but it’s not a big play. Lay it with Florida, the 25-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college football betting odds.
