Florida Gators Gasparilla Bowl Betting Online
At the onset of the season, the Florida Gators were touted as a team to avoid. Head coach Billy Napier was given last rites on what was expected to be an eventual date with the firing squad. When Florida fell to 1-2 after a 33-20 home loss to the Texas A&M Aggies, Napier was said to be asking for a blindfold and a cigarette. Instead, Napier and his Gators rallied to finish 7-5, with freshman phenom quarterback DJ Lagway gaining valuable experience in leading Florida to a bowl berth.
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Florida Gators Weekly Matchup
In postseason action, on Friday, December 20, 2024, the Florida Gators will face the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, and television coverage will be on ESPN2.
Florida will get most of the betting on college football using crypto action as the SEC brand.
Last game, the Tulane Green Wave lost 35-14 against the Army Black Knights as 5-point road favorites. The game went over the total of 46.5. Tulane has a record of 9-4 straight up, 9-3 against the spread, and 7-5 over/under the total. Tulane ranks 41st for total offense, 82nd for passing, 17th for rushing and 9th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 13th overall, 6th against the pass, 53rd against the rush, and 17th for points allowed. Also, Tulane ranks 28th for fewest turnovers lost and 35th for takeaways.
Florida Gators Weekly Recap
Last game, the Florida Gators won 31-11 against the Florida State Seminoles as 16.5-point road favorites. The game went under the total of 45.5. Florida has a record of 7-5 straight up, 8-4 against the spread, and 6-6 over/under the total. Florida ranks 81st for total offense, 78th for passing, 75th for rushing and 68th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 91st overall, 97th against the pass, 80th against the rush, and 64th for points allowed. Also, Florida ranks 67th for fewest turnovers lost and 54th for takeaways.
The Florida Gators have their first winning season since 2020. Behind a five-takeaway performance from its defense and special teams, along with a 99-yard rushing effort from Montrell Johnson Jr., the Gators on Saturday defeated Florida State, 31-11, to end the regular season at 7-5.
Florida's defense dominated with eight fumbles forced, five of which were recovered, to go with eight sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss on the night. The Gators held Florida State to 239 yards of total offense, and the sack total was a season-high and the most by Florida against the Seminoles since 2000.
“Yeah some of those were just takeaway behavior," said UF head coach Billy Napier. "You know, we talked about putting takeaway behavior on the film. Do it in practice, do it in the game. Second, third, fourth, fifth defender in, you know, being around the ball.
Population around the ball contributes to turnovers. So the mission here was to come here and put a bunch of identity clips on the tape, and I think we did that.”
The Gator offense struggled to take full advantage with only 368 yards of offense, but the rushing attack, led by Johnson Jr.'s 99 yards and Jadan Baugh's 81 yards, sparked Florida's offense when it needed it the most.
Johnson Jr., behind a game-sealing 65-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, moved over the 3,000-yard mark in his four-year career.
"We've done a good job evaluating players and recruiting players. That's not been our issue here. What we needed to do is prove ourselves on the grass, prove to recruits that we can teach and develop players and that our formula works and win," Napier said.
2024 Florida Gators Football Schedule
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCORE |
RECORD |
| Aug 31 |
vs. Miami-FL |
L 17-41 |
0-1 |
| Sep 7 |
vs. Samford |
W 45-7 |
1-1 |
| Sep 14 |
vs. Texas A&M |
L 20-33 |
1-2 |
| Sep 21 |
at Mississippi State |
W 45-28 |
2-2 |
| Sep 28 |
OFF |
| Oct 5 |
vs. UCF |
W 24-13 |
3-2 |
| Oct 12 |
at Tennessee |
L 17-23 |
3-3 |
| Oct 19 |
vs. Kentucky |
W 48-20 |
4-3 |
| Oct 26 |
OFF |
| Nov 2 |
vs. Georgia |
L 20-34 |
4-4 |
| Nov 9 |
at Texas |
L 17-49 |
4-5 |
| Nov 16 |
vs. LSU |
W 27-16 |
5-5 |
| Nov 23 |
vs. Mississippi |
W 24-17 |
6-5 |
| Nov 30 |
at Florida State |
W 31-11 |
7-5 |
The Florida Gators are not a traditional power but a recent one. Florida has three national championships (1996, 2006, 2008) and eight conference titles, all of which came in 1991 or after. Steve Spurrier is the greatest Gator who ever lived. Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy as quarterback and placekicker. Subsequently, he returned to lead Florida to the 1996 national championship and six SEC titles.
Another legendary head coach at Florida was Urban Meyer. Meyer led the Gators to two national titles with Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow. Other famed Gator players include Emmitt Smith, Danny Wuerffel, Jack Youngblood, and Wilber Marshall.
Florida has proven to be a difficult place for coaches to live. Spurrier is the GOAT of Florida coaches but left because the fans turned too demanding after he made the Gators into a national power. Meyer had multiple nervous breakdowns and had to leave when things turned south. Dan Mullen was run out less than a year after almost leading the Gators to the national championship.
2024-2025 College Football Schedule
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