Florida vs. Towson: Game pick, prediction, odds, line, spread, time, TV, watch live stream

Football

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Image Credit: Michael Nash

After opening a season 4-0 for the first time since 2015, the No. 9 Florida Gators are almost assuredly headed toward a fifth win when they host the Towson Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. While Towson is a talented team, the FCS contenders are more than a five-touchdown underdog to Florida inside The Swamp.

What will go down as the Gators continue their three-game homestand at Florida Field? Let’s find out with plenty of information, notes, analysis and a game prediction despite the long odds for Saturday’s visitor.

Viewing information

Date: Saturday, Sept. 28 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — Gainesville, Florida [Capacity: 88,548]

TV: SEC Network (Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Alyssa Lang)
Live stream: WatchESPN.com | SiriusXM: 137/190 | Radio: WRUF, TuneIn
Live updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter

Tale of the tape

Injuries and absences

Questionable (2): CB C.J. Henderson (ankle), DE Jabari Zuniga (ankle)
Out (4): DB Shawn Davis (undisclosed), WR Freddie Swain (undisclosed), ATH Kadarius Toney (shoulder), DT Elijah Conliffe (undisclosed)
Out for season (3): QB Feleipe Franks (ankle), CB C.J. McWilliams (Achilles), LB David Reese (Achilles)

Game notes

» Florida and Towson have never faced one another. The Gators are 26-1 this century against first-time opponents with 20 straight wins.
» This is the second time in as many seasons that UF will play a pair of opponents for the first time. It also faced Tennessee-Martin in Week 2.
» The Gators are 4-0 against ranked FCS teams since 1978.
» Florida is 74-9 at home against nonconference opponents since 1990.
» UF has begun a season 4-0 for the first time since 2015.
» The Gators have won eight straight games for the first time since 2011-12 and done so by a combined 277-83.
» Florida is outscoring opponents 84-17 in the second half this season.
» The Gators lead the FBS in sacks (20) and rank fifth in tackles for loss (37).
» Florida is 11-2 against unranked opponents under Mullen with both losses coming to SEC East teams in The Swamp. However, the Gators are also 4-1 against ranked opponents under Mullen, beating three ranked teams in a single season in 2018 for the first time since 2012.
» UF is looking for its first back-to-back 10-win seasons in a decade (2008-09).
» Under Mullen, the Gators are 9-0 when scoring first, 11-0 when leading after the third quarter, 10-0 when allowing 20 points or fewer, 5-0 in games decided by fewer than 10 points and 11-0 when outrushing their opponent.
» Florida has scored 24+ points in eight straight games for the first time since doing so in 24 consecutive contests from 2007-09.
» UF has scored in 389 consecutive games, an NCAA record.
» Florida is one of only two FBS teams (Alabama) that has not lost to an opponent that finished the season with a losing record dating back to the 2008 season.

Prediction and analysis

Spread: Florida -37.5 | O/U: 63.5

As with the Tennessee-Martin game, it is not recommended to pick Florida with such a high spread, no matter the opponent. The Gators are more than five-touchdown favorites in this game, and while the coaches do not want them to overlook any opponent, it is still human nature to perhaps be more lackadaisical in such a situation. Therefore, it is hard to know how Florida will perform in a game like this.

Towson, unlike UT-Martin, is one of the top 10 teams in FCS. It should score at some point in this game, which means the Gators may not simply be able to post 38-42 points and coast to a cover. The leans are the Tigers with the points and the under, but it’s really not worth going either way on this one.

2019 records: ATS picks 1-2-1 | O/U picks 2-1

Odds and ends

» Florida will orange helmets with orange jerseys and white pants. This is the first time the Gators have strayed from their traditional uniform combinations since the middle part of the 2018 season.
» HBO has been in Gainesville all week filming Florida’s preparations for Towson for the first episode of its new docuseries, “24/7 College Football,” which is a collegiate take on their “Hard Knocks” franchise. The Gators episode will debut on Wednesday, Oct. 2.