The Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes both underachieved massively this season, finishing up with .500 records. The two will duke it out at the aptly named Gator Bowl in a game that pits Urban Meyer's new team against the team that he led to two National Championships.
Meyer is probably best served not even being in Jacksonville in this game, as he would likely draw the wrath of what should be a pro-Florida crowd in former QB Tim Tebow's hometown. That being said, Meyer has to like his chances in the coming years with QB Braxton Miller calling the shots.
Miller threw for just 997 yards on the campaign, but he also rushed for 695 yards and seven scores, both of which were tops on the team. He has a skill set that is conducive to running Meyer's spread offense, and he did so well with Luke Fickell commanding the team against the Michigan Wolverines and nearly was able to pull off the upset in the Big House.
What many forget about OSU is that WR DeVier Posey and RB Boom Herron really didn't play in all that many games this year. Posey only caught seven passes in his two games played, while Herron finally got back in the groove in the middle of the season. Both were suspended at the outset of the season for taking illegal benefits off the field, and they are why the Buckeyes won't be permitted in a bowl game next year.
The first season for Head Coach Will Muschamp at Florida didn't turn out all that well. The Gators started off at 4-0, but they struggled in the SEC and really never got it together again. Speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey only combined for 1,329 yards on the ground this year and averaged right around 5.5 yards per carry, which is a far cry to what they were capable of doing when they were in the Meyer offense.
The Gators are probably going to deploy three quarterbacks in this game. John Brantley, the heir apparently to Tebow, will be finishing up a disappointing career, while both Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel may see some snaps as they duke it out to be the starting signal caller for the orange and blue next season.
Ohio State is 7-2 ATS in its last nine bowl games, but one of those ATS defeats was to these Gators in the BCS National Championship Game. The Gators are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games overall.
That being said, UF is still favored by two points in this de facto home game. The 'total' has risen from 42 to 44 at Bookmaker Sportsbook.
