Ole Miss vs Florida Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Nov 19, 2024 1:07 AM ET

Florida got its groove back, at least for one week. It was coming off a good performance against Georgia and a bad day against Texas, and then it ruined LSU’s season in a terrific 27-16 win. Now, with a date against a bad Florida State team to close, there’s a real chance to get bowl eligible if it doesn’t get the win here.

Ole Miss might have too much traffic to work through to get to the SEC Championship, but win this, get by Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl rivalry six days later, and at 10-2 it should find its way into the College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss vs Florida: How to Watch and Game Preview

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
How To Watch: ABC
Venue: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Teams: Ole Miss (8-2), Florida (5-5)
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Why Florida Will Win

This is a different team with DJ Lagway under center. He might not run much, and he’s not all that accurate, but he’s a playmaker who makes the offense go with big plays. He didn’t play against Texas and got knocked out of the Georgia game, but he did what the team needed in the win over LSU.

The Florida defense might be hit-or-miss this season, but it’s when the secondary is making plays, everything else seems to come together. Ole Miss is 1-2 when it doesn’t throw for at least 285 yards. Florida allowed that many yards or more three times - against Georgia’s Carson Beck, Miami’s Cam Ward, and Quinn Ewers of Texas, but …

Why Ole Miss Will Win

Jaxson Dart is one of those quarterbacks who belongs in the discussion with those other quarterbacks.

He doesn’t get enough love and credit because the Ole Miss quarterback is often a product of the system, but Dart has been on hitting 71% of his passes for over 3,400 yards with 22 touchdowns and four picks.

If he gets hot early, forget it. This isn’t a high-powered Gator team that needs to keep the score in the 20s on both sides. It only scored more than 27 three times - Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Samford - and the team is 0-5 when scoring 20 or fewer. So …

Ole Miss vs Florida: Who Will Win?

The offense gets the attention under Lane Kiffin, but the defense has been every bit as strong, if not better. It allowed 29 points in the loss to LSU, 31 in the win over Arkansas, and 20 or fewer against everyone else.

Florida is one of the few teams that cares about the time of possession battle less than Ole Miss. The Gators won’t take the air out of the ball like they’ll need to.