The 10th ranked Florida Gators welcome the Toledo Rockets to Gainesville today for a season opening scrap at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (a.k.a The Swamp). The Rockets and Gators are scheduled to take the field at 12:21pm ET; the game can be seen live on ESPN3 or ESPN's Gameplan package. The latest College Football Point Spreads Week 1 are favoring Florida at -23 against the spread. Today's game total is set at 55 points.
Florida fans might recall last year's season opening battle with Bowling Green and begin to feel just a tinge of anxiety about today's clash with Toldeo. The Gators beat the Falcons 27-14, but they were nowhere near covering the spread (-29) or dominating the game.
Bowling Green scored 22 first downs to Florida's 14 and it posted 327 total yards while Gators produced 365. Florida did not do itself any favors in the penalty department, racking up 14 for 106 yards, but it did secure an advantage in turnovers, finishing +1 for the game.
While Bowling Green should be stronger this season, it could be argued, with great success, that this year's Toldeo squad is significantly better than the Falcons team that challenged Florida last season.
The Rockets, a 9-4 team in 2012, return nine starters from an offense that averaged 31.5 points and 445 yards per game. Toledo has also shown a tendency to play well against BCS competition the last couple of seasons, covering against teams like Ohio State, Arizona, and Cincinnati.
Florida will be short handed today as well. It was reported yesterday that six Gators are suspended for this afternoon's game. Among those sitting out is cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy.
Toldeo vs Florida College Football Point Spreads Week 1:
Toledo Rockets +23 (-110), Over 55 (-110), +1250 (Moneyline)
Florida Gators -23 (-110), Under 55 (-110), -2000 (Moneyline)
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