Make New York Post a Preferred Source Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall talks with quarterback Aaron Philo. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Florida Gators are the story of college football this season.
Jon Sumrall’s first four games in charge couldn’t have gone better, and last week’s rout of Ole Miss has made the 44-year-old the toast of the town in Gainesville.
The AP has Florida (4-0) ranked No. 8, SP+ has the Gators as the 12th-best team in the country and Sagarin has them even higher at No. 9.
Florida is really good, but the schedule doesn’t relent. The Gators travel to Faurot Field as 5.5-point favorites over No. 25 Missouri on Saturday.
This is a classic sell-high spot, but the Gators haven’t given us any reason to believe that a stumble is coming. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner has Florida in carnival mode with the ball, and the defense has done its bit, too.
Quarterback Aaron Philo, a first-year starter who transferred from Faulkner’s old team, Georgia Tech, has hardly put a foot wrong, silencing skeptics who were wondering whether or not the lack of experience would prove too much in the SEC.
He will face another good defense Saturday, but the Gators may not need to light up the scoreboard to win this game in Columbia.
It is hard to trust Mizzou’s offense right now.
Austin Simmons of Missouri throws a pass. Getty Images Part of its struggles is not of its doing, with star running back Ahmad Hardy is still recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered in May, but the Tigers are not making life easy on a stalwart defense.
Missouri gained just 4.7 yards per play in a lackluster win over Troy in Week 3, and it couldn’t close the gap against Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State in Week 4.
The numbers looked better against the Bulldogs, but that was likely an effect of going down 14-0 early in Starkville.
Perhaps this will end up being the right time to sell high on Florida, but the paths to victory are there for the Gators as they go up against an offense that hasn’t given us much reason to believe that they can keep pace with what Faulkner and Philo are cooking.
The Play: Florida -5.5 (-110, DraftKings)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
