Kentucky vs. Florida game glance, opening odds, and early prediction

Neither Kentucky nor Florida will feel good coming into this one. Kentucky dropped a stinker in Knoxville, losing 34-6, while Florida got whipped by Oklahoma in The Swamp, 23-7. But they’ll both have to get over it quickly; the SEC comes at you fast.

Florida will travel up to Kentucky for a November night game; the last time that happened was just last year. Kentucky rolled to a 38-7 victory. But both coaches are different, and I am not so sure a blowout is in the cards this year for either side.

Both teams will look to right the ship and prevent one loss from becoming two. You better believe Jon Sumrall and Brad White will be coming back to Lexington with a win on their mind, while Kentucky will be looking to take the awful sting of that Volunteer loss out of their system while also keeping their College Football Playoff hopes afloat.

Florida Gators (5-4, 3-4)

Florida is a shockingly inconsistent team. The Gators destroyed Ole Miss by 24, knocked off Texas by 3, but lost by 28 to Missouri and 16 to Oklahoma.

The Gators have been held to under 10 points in back-to-back games while also playing a QB carousel. Trammel Jones started against the Sooners but was a dreadful 10-of-22 with 2 INTs. But just a game before, Aaron Philo started 5-of-7, but those two incompletions were interceptions, and he was benched before halftime.

Where the Gators go from there is anyone’s guess, but Kentucky will need to prepare to see both guys.

On defense, Florida is just as volatile. 425.3 total yards per game is what they give up for the year, but in the last 3 games, they have surrendered 278 yards to Texas, 318 to Georgia, and 351 to Oklahoma. So, Brad White has got his side playing a little better.

But it really comes down to which team shows up. Will it be the team that knocked off Texas or the team that lost at home to Oklahoma?

How to watch Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators

• Location: Kroger Field- Lexington, Kentucky
• Date: Saturday, November 14th
• Time: 6:15 PM ET
• TV: ESPN
• Online streaming:WatchESPN
• Radio:UK Sports Network
• Opening odds:FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 3.5 points with an over/under of 51.5.
• ESPN win probability: ESPN FPI gives Kentucky a 54% chance of victory

Our prediction

I’m not going to lie, this game has got weirdness written all over it. Kentucky and Florida are both coming off terrible losses, with both fan bases hurting. Whichever team handles that the best will walk away with a victory here.

I think if Kentucky can get back to playing clean football, they have the talent and home-field advantage to send the Gators back home with a loss. But Florida has a lot of talent, and if they are motivated, they can beat anyone, anywhere, as proven down in Austin when they knocked off Texas.

My biggest concern remains Malachi Wood, who has been abused by speed guys this season. Emmanuel Oyebadejo is a 6’6, 300-pound nightmare who leads the Gators with 4.5 sacks. You better believe he is licking his chops to go against the right side of Kentucky’s line, which struggled down in Knoxville.

Ultimately, I think Kentucky does clean it up, and despite some pressure off the edge, the Cats knock off the Gators.

Final score: Kentucky 33, Florida 21

Which team do you think bounces back best from a tough loss?