The Week 1 college football schedule begins things properly on Thursday night with a huge SEC vs. Pac-12 game set for primetime as No. 14 Utah welcomes unranked Florida to Salt Lake for a huge non-conference matchup, albeit one that will be defined in part by some major injury problems for the Utes.
On the day before the game, news came down that both quarterback Cameron Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe are doubtful to play in the opener. Both are trying to return from ACL injuries: Kuithe tore his in September, and Rising was injured in the Rose Bowl loss to Penn State.
That wasn't the best news Utah could get, but the Utes still present a unified front on the offensive line, a tough unit that should block well for a battery of skilled backs against a Florida D that was 95th against the run on a per-carry basis a year ago.
What can we expect when things kick off? Let's check in on how the SP+ prediction model devised by ESPN analyst Bill Connelly projects the matchup, along with the latest betting information for the Week 1 game.
Florida vs. Utah score predictions
Florida vs. Utah score prediction: The SP+ model projects that Utah will defend home turf and defeat Florida by a predicted score of 32 to 25 with a projected margin of 7.4 points and has a win probability of 67 percent.
More: Florida vs. Utah game prediction, preview: Who wins, and why?
Point spread: The lines at SI Sportsbook list Utah as the 4.5 point favorites against Florida, a drop from Utah's original position as 6.5 point faves, a decision that came down after the news that Rising was doubtful to play in the game.
Place your bets: Bet Florida vs. Utah on SI Sportsbook
FPI prediction: Despite the injury concerns, Utah is still listed as having the 73.6 percent chance to win, compared to Florida at 26.4 percent, according to the College Football Power Index model that simulates games 20,000 times to predict winners.
Florida vs. Utah game schedule
When: Thurs., Aug. 31
Time: 8 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN network
Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
College football rankings
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More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams
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