Week 1 of the NCAA football season is here, and we have a battle for Florida as the Florida Gators host the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes recently saw a bump in their odds to win the ACC after another Florida school, the Florida State Seminoles, lost in Week 0.
As we head into this game, the best online sports betting sites have betting lines favoring the Hurricanes, but we’ll explore how each team could win below.
Miami favored over Florida ahead of opening week matchup
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How Miami could win this game
This offseason, the Hurricanes saw quarterback Cam Ward transfer into the program. He spent the prior two seasons at Washington State. There, he completed 643 of 982 passes (65.5%) for 6,968 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
The Hurricanes also added running back Damien Martinez, a transfer from Oregon State. Last season, he racked up 1,185 yards on 194 carries and scored nine touchdowns.
While this new-look offense appears to be an upgraded unit, it’s still the first game of the season, so there could be some hiccups in getting on the same page, similar to Florida State on Aug. 24.
How Florida could win this game
Florida is the home team here, and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is always a tough place to play. The Gators are 9-4 at home over the past two seasons.
The Gators have consistency across their offense from last season, with only two transfers who are projected to be starters: right tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson and wide receiver Chimere Dike.
Dike played sparingly the last four seasons at Wisconsin, but Gators quarterback Graham Mertz was at Wisconsin alongside him from 2020 to 2022, so they could pick up where they left off.
For Florida, while the new-look Miami offense could be an improvement on paper, the Gators have consistency on the offensive side of the ball on their side.
