Led by dual-threat QB Bryce Perkins, the Virginia Cavaliers will look to impress in their first-ever appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl game. The Florida Gators are no strangers to playing in South Florida and will surely have the home crowd on their side at Hard Rock Stadium.
- Spread: Florida -14.5
- Total: 54.5
- Date/Time: December 30, 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Miami Gardens, Florida
- Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Florida vs Virginia Matchup Report & Updated Odds
Orange Bowl Odds Analysis
The spread for this game hadn’t moved off the Sportsbook -14.5 number for the Gators as of December 12, but the total shifted slightly upward to 54.5 after Sportsbook at 53.5.
Florida News & Notes
Florida, playing in its second consecutive New Year’s Six bowl game after blowing out Michigan 41-15 in the Peach Bowl a year ago, has an opportunity to finish with 11 wins for the first time since 2012. Dan Mullen’s first two seasons in the Sunshine State have been a success, so a win in the Orange Bowl would send his team into the offseason with some decent momentum.
Linebacker Jonathan Greenard has been massive for the Gators in 2019, and the squad will once again have to lean heavily on its top defensive player in this one. Greenard paced Florida with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss and will need to make life difficult for Cavaliers quarterback Bryce Perkins. Virginia is not known for its running game outside of the QB, so Greenard could be the X factor in this game.
Virginia News & Notes
Speaking of Perkins, the dual-threat signal-caller will give Cavaliers backers plenty of optimism to cover the big underdog spread in the New Year’s Six contest. Perkins accounted for 35 total touchdowns and 3,960 yards this season and is the driving force behind his team’s appearance in the Orange Bowl. Virginia, in the ACC championship game, was the first team this season to amass more than 300 yards against the Clemson defense.
Joe Reed, who sat out the conference championship due to an undisclosed injury, will suit up for the Cavaliers in the Orange Bowl. Reed led Virginia in receptions (70) and touchdown catches (6) in 2019 and has dominated on special teams, holding the school career kick return yardage record with 3,010.
Betting Pick: Virginia +14.5
There’s no doubt who the better team is here, but even though the Gators possess more talent across the board than the Cavaliers, I think the impact of Perkins will be enough to get Virginia to cover the multi-touchdown spread.
- Florida is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
- The OVER is 5-0 in Virginia’s last 5 games.
- The OVER is 4-2 in Florida’s last 6 games.
