Kentucky opens as slight favorite vs. Florida

Kentucky will get the one-score home nod as opening lines roll out for next week’s slate of college football games. The Wildcats will be 2.5-point favorites when they host the No. 25 Florida Gators inside Kroger Field on Saturday.

It’s the fifth consecutive game Kentucky will open as a favorite to open the season. The Wildcats are 3-1 against the spread on the year and 4-0 overall.

The over/under has also been set at 46.5 points with the money line sitting at -140 in Kentucky’s favor.

Kentucky opened as multi-score favorites in each of its first four games, closing at -25 vs. Ball State, -35 vs. EKU, -25 vs. Akron and -13.5 at Vanderbilt. The Wildcats beat the spread against the Cardinals, Zips and Commodores while falling well short against the Colonels. As for point totals, the over hit in the season opener (49) and the SEC opener in Nashville (50) while the under hit in wins two and three (62.5 and 48.5).

What can fans expect next Saturday? ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Wildcats a 51.8% chance to win at home, with kickoff scheduled for noon ET on ESPN.

Florida sputters in ugly win vs. Charlotte

The Gators sit at 3-1 on the year and are ranked inside the top 25, but it doesn’t mean things have come easy for Billy Napier’s squad. Florida is coming off an ugly 22-7 home victory over Charlotte, one that saw the Gators make five field goals and finish just 1 of 9 on third down while turning the ball over twice.

Florida opened the season with a 24-11 loss at No. 14 Utah, followed by a 49-7 win vs. McNeese and a statement 29-16 victory vs. No. 11 Tennessee in week three.

The Gators are led by former Kentucky portal target Graham Mertz at quarterback, who has thrown for 951 yards on 77.8 percent passing with four touchdowns and an interception. Ricky Pearsall has made up a third of that receiving production, racking up 362 yards on 26 receptions, good for 13.9 yards per catch. Eugene Wilson III is the only other Gator with over 100 receiving yards (104 on 12 receptions).

Trevor Etienne has been a force in the backfield, racking up 329 yards and two scores on 49 carries, good for 6.7 yards per carry. Montrell Johnson Jr. is back No. 2, recording 211 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries through four games.

As a team, Florida is scoring 27.8 points while averaging 412.5 yards per game — 247.8 through the air and 164.8 on the ground. Defensively, the Gators are allowing 245 yards per game.

What do you think, BBN? Is 2.5 points enough?