NCAAF: BACKERS BET ON GATORS BLOWOUT
The Florida Gators are playing like the best time in the country and bettors like their chances of blowing out a tough rival on Saturday.
The #4-ranked Gators venture to Tallahassee to play in-state rival, #21 Florida State, as 16 ½-point favorites. Sportsbook.com members are expecting a blowout and 92% are betting that Florida improves its national title hopes.
That SEC-ACC inter-conference matchup is one of several rivalry matchups between non-conference foes on Saturday.
Here’s a look at four of those matchups:
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+7.5) @ Georgia Bulldogs (12 PM ET, CBS)
The nickname of this Southern conflict is Good, Old-Fashion Hate and Georgia Tech is building a basketful of pent-up emotions having lost seven straight to Georgia.
First year coach Paul Johnson will try to end the misery of the recent 1-5-1 ATS skid and, oddly enough, the Yellow Jackets are 13-4 against the spread against ranked teams.
Georgia is 8-1 ATS after playing Auburn and still can line up respectable bowl game with a victory. The Bulldogs have covered the spread 12 of 17 (12-4-1) times since 1991, with the visitor a sparkling 8-2 in this series the last 10 meetings.
CFB Free Prediction: Georgia 34, Georgia Tech 26
Florida Gators (-16.5) @ Florida State Seminoles (3:30 PM ET, ESPN)
Florida is on everyone’s “don’t’ play” list as they are outscoring opponents by 41 points a game since losing to Mississippi in late September.
The Gators arrive in Tallahassee with a 10-3-1 ATS record in non-conference action under head coach Urban Meyer.
The Florida State season unraveled in November until finally whipping Maryland 37-3 this past Saturday.
Florida has swiped four straight in this series but the home team a solid 15-5 ATS. Whoever wins the game is 24-2-1 ATS when these two schools meet.
CFB Free Prediction: Florida 42, Florida State 26
South Carolina Gamecocks (+1) @ Clemson Tigers (7:30 PM ET, ESPN)
The Battle of the Palmetto State is the longest uninterrupted rivalry in the South, having been played every year since 1909.
Neither school fulfilled expectations in 2008, thus winning this contest will help fill the void. South Carolina comes in off a Florida drubbing and is 4-8-1 ATS after losing by 10 or more points.
Clemson needs this ball game to secure bowl berth after a disappointing campaign muddled in turmoil.
The Tigers are 5-2 ATS against the Gamecocks over the last seven years; however this has been a rivalry that has filled the wallets of bettors backing the road team as they have a 15-4 ATS record since 1989.
CFB Free Prediction: Clemson 23, South Carolina 21
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+32) @ USC Trojans (8 PM ET, ABC)
The Notre Dame-USC rivalry is regarded as the greatest intersectional series in college football and has been played annually since 1926, except for a brief repose during World
War II.
USC coach Pete Carroll has won 85 of his first 100 games at USC and despite often unrealistic numbers, still covered 59 times.
With two weeks to prepare, UCS is 18-6 ATS off a bye.
Notre Dame might be back in the bowl scene after missing out last season having posted six victories this season. However, they are just 3-9 ATS against cross-country rival USC since 1996 and have lost the last three games at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum by 82 points.
CFB Free Prediction: USC 36, Notre Dame 15
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