Jacksonville Dolphins vs Florida Gators Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 11/07/24

As opening week continues, we head to the Sunshine state on Thursday for a Jacksonville Dolphins vs Florida Gators prediction. Both teams won their openers on Monday, as the Dolphins beat Trinity Baptist (yeah, I don’t know either), and the Gators upended South Florida. We did not learn much about either team in those openers. Jacksonville played a non-competitive matchup, and the Gators played a South Florida team that lost everyone and is totally rebuilding. What we did reaffirm, though, is that Florida is still going to play as fast as they can. I think that makes a difference on Thursday, and it allows the Gators to stretch this game out beyond the 20-point margin. My Jacksonville vs Florida pick is Florida -20.

This spread pick is really an evaluation of what we think the Gators are this season. Todd Golden is a fantastic coach, and he brought a tournament-worthy brand of basketball to Gainesville last season. While he lost his 7’1” big man to a broken leg in the SEC tournament, an injury that will cost him this season as well, Florida is still a very talented team. The offense runs through Walter Clayton Jr, and he put up 29 in the opener. The Gators shot a clunky 5-for-26 from beyond the arc in that game, and while that might be a chronic issue for them this season, it shouldn’t be quite that bad. Jacksonville is picked to finish near the bottom of the ASUN, and if the Gators maintain their rapid pace of play and get a few shots to fall, I wouldn’t expect the Dolphins to keep pace. Give me the Gators to cover in this one.

Jacksonville vs Florida Prediction: Florida -20 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.