Joel Klatt picks Miami to win, cover spread vs. Florida

Ahead of an in-state, rivalry showdown in The Swamp, Joel Klatt has made his prediction for No. 19 Miami vs. Florida.

Klatt made several picks for opening games this weekend and their spreads during his show on Thursday. That included this fascinating one between the Hurricanes and Gators in Gainesville.

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“This game is wildly interesting to me – wildly interesting,” said Klatt.

However, almost all of that interest for Klatt involves Miami. He has them as a playoff contender as a team that he expects to win double-digit games. That all comes down to Mario Cristobal, though, and if he can get the ‘Canes to that level, especially to start off with on Saturday.

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“The urgency has to be there for Mario Cristobal. I’ve talked about this during the course of the preseason in the lead-up to the season,” Klatt said. “With this roster, with this quarterback and transfer in Cam Ward, with Damien Martinez – the transfer running back from Oregon State, with the offensive line and the way that they’ve built it and recruited? They need to be great this year. Not just like, oh, take a step forward, be better. With this schedule, Miami needs to win 10 games. They’re better than Florida. They’re better than Florida.

“I like Miami taking a giant step forward. The urgency has to be there. I believe that there’s a lot of pressure on Mario Cristobal because the expectations need to be heightened,” Klatt continued. “They can and should expect a winner. With this schedule, with this roster, and namely with this quarterback, that needs to come to fruition. Cristobal needs to go out there and win 10 games, maybe even 11, play for and potentially win the ACC. I’ve got them in my playoff.”

As for Florida, Klatt was particularly pessimistic about where they stand as a program right now. With three consecutive years below .500, he got honest about the Gators going into 2024.

“I don’t really know what Florida is yet – they just absolutely floundered at the end of last season, they lost their last five games. They’ve got I think is arguably the toughest schedule in the country,” Klatt said. “I don’t expect anything from Florida this year. I just don’t.

“Florida is coming off three straight losing seasons. You’ve got to forget about, like, what we think Florida is or should be. Take that away,” Klatt added. “Narrative Florida doesn’t exist. Reality Florida is a team that is just trying to find their footing and is not going to find it this year, in particular with that schedule that they have.”

With those assessments of both teams, it’s simple to see what Klatt eventually went with in his choice. It was one further in favor of a Miami win and cover to start their season well on the record and against the spread.

“My pick? 28-14 – Miami wins and they’re on their way to a big season,” said Klatt.