Utah vs. Florida: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football

A highly-anticipated rematch from just last season, Florida is set to open the Week 1 slate for SEC football this Thursday night, as the Gators travel out west to face Utah. The Gators own a 2-0 all-time advantage in the head-to-head series, which includes a 29-26 victory in Gainesville just last season.

Beginning with Florida, the Gators are entering the second season under head coach Billy Napier, and are coming off a year in which they finished 6-7 overall. Also going 3-5 in SEC play, this was the second consecutive season in which Florida went 6-7 overall, which also happened to be the first time the Gators posted back-to-back losing seasons since the 1978-79 campaigns.

A group that averaged 29.5 PPG a year ago, Florida’s 2023 offense is set to be headlined by one of the SEC’s top running backs duos in Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne, with the two combining for 1,500+ yards a year ago. Taking over at quarterback will also be Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, who will be surrounded by returning names such as Ricky Pearsall and Dante Zanders, among others.

Defensively, the Gators allowed an average of 28.8 PPG to opponents last season, and return a few prominent names from that unit in 2023. Included in that group are the likes of Princely Umanmielen, Shemar James, and Jason Marshall Jr., who will joined newcomers such as Michigan transfer RJ Moten.

As for Utah, who is ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll, the Utes are entering year No. 19 under head coach Kyle Whittingham coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in which they finished 10-4 overall, as well as 7-2 in Pac-12 play. The back-to-back Pac-12 champions, this was the second consecutive season in which Utah finished 10-4, as well as the second-straight year they lost in the Rose Bowl at seasons end.

One of the Pac-12’s top offensive teams a year ago by averaging 38.6 PPG, the Utes return one of the conference’s top quarterbacks in Cameron Rising, who has accounted for 6,000+ total yards and 58 touchdowns across the last two seasons. Also returning are a few others that include the likes of Ja’Quinden Jackson, Brant Kuithe, and Devaughn Vele, while also having added the likes of Florida State transfer Mycah Pittman.

Defensively, the Utes allowed 21.4 PPG to opponents last season, and return multiple prominent names on that side of the ball. Included in that group are the likes of Cole Bishop, Karene Reid, Lander Barton, Jatravis Broughton, and Sione Vaki, among others.

Utah vs. Florida Line, Spread, Over/Under

According to FanDuel, Utah is a 6.5-point favorite over Florida as of Tuesday afternoon, with the over/under at 44.5. The Utes are -250, while Florida is +202.

Utah vs. Florida SEC Football Prediction

When predicting this game, it largely depends on the availability of Utah quarterback Cam Rising, with the Utes likely the favorite on their home field should he play. However, if Rising doesn’t play, I’ll say that Florida picks up a big win on the road to open the 2023 season. Prediction: Utah 24, Florida 27

What Channel is the Utah vs. Florida Game On?

The Utah Utes will host the Florida Gators on Thursday, August 31 at 8:00 PM ET from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT, with the matchup available to watch on ESPN.

Utah vs. Florida Live Stream

The Week 1 matchup between the Utah Utes and Florida Gators can be found on fuboTV here.