Biscuits Bowl Bonanza - previews part I
Florida is hobbling into their matchup with Oregon State. Can they pull off an upset?
By: Bossman Slim, The Hammer, The Waco Kid
Florida looks to break the Beaver dam without some of their top stars (Photo via @GatorsFB)
It’s like this every year once you hit bowl season, but it feels like the season flew by. Only a few more weeks left to watch our beloved sport and then the offseason starts in earnest (is there really an offseason in this sport anymore?). While there have been many opt-outs and a ton of transfers (if you’re reading the Mornin’ Biscuits Newsletter, you know the portal is on fire), I’m still pumped to watch some college football. Eleven SEC teams made a bowl, so everyone except for Auburn, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt will have a vested interest in a bowl.
For bowl season, we’re starting fresh. We’ll see if the crew has better luck against the spread in the next 11 games.
We’ll be releasing our previews in clusters as the games get closer, so first up is the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl between Florida and Oregon State. Should be a fun one in Sin City. Let’s dig into the previews.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, Saturday 12/17
Florida vs #14 Oregon State - 2:30 ET on ESPN (OSU -10)
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Bossman Slim: At first glance, you think you might be dreaming. Oregon State…a 10-point favorite over Florida on a neutral field? Oregon State in the top 15 and Florida is unranked? Then you remember that this Florida team that showed some flashes during the season is now a shell of itself. No Anthony Richardson (opt-out). No O’Cyrus Torrence (opt-out). No Brenton Cox (dismissed). No Diwun Black (dismissed). Hell, they don’t even have backup QB Jalen Kitna, who was dismissed for a really unseemly run-in with the law. Google it, I’m not putting it down here. By my count, they’ve also lost 19 players to the transfer portal. While Florida may be more talented on paper, that paper has been torn to shreds for the bowl game, and this was a mediocre Florida team at best this year, even with the talented-but-inconsistent Richardson behind center. Jack Miller, a transfer from Ohio State, will get his first start behind center for the Gators. He was expected to push Richardson for the starting job when he transferred in, but an early season injury sidelined those hopes and helped Kitna jump him on the depth chart. Expect Florida to rely heavily on the run game with Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne. That could play right into the Beavers hands, as they boast a top-20 run defense. The OSU pass defense is susceptible, but I don’t trust Miller enough yet to get the job done with a depleted roster. I think Florida covers, but give me the Beavers by a score.
#14 Oregon State 28
Florida 20
The Hammer: One of my favorite parts of bowl season is seeing the random, off-the-wall companies that sponsor these games. We’ve got a doozy right off the bat with the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl between Florida and #14 Oregon State. It sounds made up, but real football will be played. As with many bowl games in modern college football, opt-outs and transfers will play a key role in this one. Florida has seen 19 players enter the transfer portal so far and Anthony Richardson declared for the NFL Draft and will not be playing in this one. Oregon State was one of the better teams in the Pac 12 this year, which was not nearly as bad of a conference overall as we’ve seen in recent years. There is a reason the Beavers are favored by 10 here, and it’s not just because Florida is not full strength. The Beavs can play ball, man. I expect Oregon State’s defense, which only allows 21.4 points per game, to put the clamps down on Florida. It looks like Jack Miller will get the start for Florida at QB by default and he has not thrown a pass all year. Maybe he’ll surprise everyone and play great, but I’ll take my chances on that. I see a tough ending for Billy Napier and Florida to conclude an up-and-down year one.
#14 Oregon State 24
Florida 17
The Waco Kid: I’m going to go against the grain in this one. Oregon State is favored and with good reason. They have managed to fly under the radar all season and just recently broke into the top 15 for the first time after toppling in-state rival Oregon 38-34. And this wasn’t the first time they played a tough game against top 15 talent. They lost to Washington earlier in the season by a mere 3 points. This is a team that has been on the brink of greatness but just out of reach. They control the clock with a potent rush attack and QB Ben Gulbranson is no scrub and can make defenses pay through the air. Still, something about this game and team does not get me excited. I think the Beavers are coming into this game underestimating a Florida team that will be playing without some of the top offensive weapons. The headliner of course is Anthony Richardson, who is skipping the bowl game to focus on the NFL Draft. But just like his draft expectations, he has been boom or bust all year. It’s been a real “will he or won’t he” type of season and I think without that weight on UF’s mind they can play a complete game behind third-string quarterback Jack Miller III. All athletes with numbers following their names tend to be ballers and I expect no less from Miller who transferred from Ohio State. Without Richardson, Florida knows its identity, a ground-and-pound offense that relies on workhorses Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne, while producing a stingy defense that may bend but will not break. OSU will have a hard time playing smash-mouth football against that humongous Florida line, especially since they are not used to playing decent defensive units. The Gators will run it down their throats to the tune of 220 rushing yards and 3 TDs and add another through the air. That alone should be enough to outscore what I think Oregon State can put on the board. They definitely do not cover and I expect Billy Napier to pull off the bowl game upset.
Florida 31
#14 Oregon State 20