Florida vs. UCF Odds
| Florida Odds | -7.5 |
| UCF Odds | +7.5 |
| Over/Under | 57 |
| Date | Dec. 23 |
| Location | Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida |
Florida is set to take on UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Find our expert's projected odds, a recap of each team's seasons, plus more information on the Gasparilla Bowl below.
Florida vs. UCF Projected Odds
| Florida Spread | -5.5 |
| UCF Spread | +5.5 |
| Over/Under | 59.3 |
These Florida vs. UCF projections are based on Collin Wilson's college football power ratings, which help power our PRO Projections — they compare all of his projections to real-time college football odds in order to easily identify betting edges.
How Florida Reached the Gasparilla Bowl
Dan Mullen led Florida to an SEC title game in 2020, but he didn’t even last the duration of the 2021 campaign before getting canned.
The Gators put up a fight in the first half of the season. They won their first two games, nearly beat Alabama and pummeled Tennessee by 24 all in the month of September.
Nothing went right from mid-October on.
Florida lost to LSU as a 12.5-point favorite, got pounded by Georgia, fell to South Carolina as three-score chalk and nearly lost to Samford. An overtime loss to Missouri as a 9.5-point favorite was the nail in the coffin for Mullen, whose players ironically rallied to beat Florida State in the finale.
The Gators closed the regular season with a 3-9 mark against the number. They haven’t covered a spread since Oct. 9.
How UCF Reached the Gasparilla Bowl
After a mediocre 3-3 start to the season, Central Florida circled the wagons to win five of its last six games to post an 8-4 overall record.
While that may be enough to satisfy the UCF faithful, college football bettors have a bone to pick with the Knights.
Central Florida was straight-up terrible against the number this season, finishing just 3-8 against the spread (ATS), which is somewhat surprising considering its eight wins on the year.
Interestingly, the Knights were favored in nine games this season, showing that the betting market pegged them as the better team in all but two matchups, but UCF struggled when laying points, evidenced by their 3-6 ATS record in those contests.
Florida vs. UCF Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Florida and UCF match up statistically:
Florida Offense vs. UCF Defense
 |  Offense |  Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 28 | 70 | |
| Line Yards | 31 | 64 | |
| Pass Success | 23 | 26 |  |
| Pass Blocking** | 58 | 95 | |
| Big Play | 66 | 74 | |
| Havoc | 64 | 26 | |
| Finishing Drives | 39 | 44 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
UCF Offense vs. Florida Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 23 | 86 | |
| Line Yards | 22 | 91 | |
| Pass Success | 84 | 32 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 6 | 21 | |
| Big Play | 21 | 26 | |
| Havoc | 85 | 75 | |
| Finishing Drives | 14 | 73 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 67 | 109 |
| Coverage | 103 | 19 |
| Middle 8 | 58 | 11 |
| SP+ Special Teams | 72 | 112 |
| Plays per Minute | 68 | 100 |
| Rush Rate | 55.1% (64) | 53.9% (74) |
Gasparilla Bowl Date, Time, TV, More Info
- Date: Dec. 23
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
- TV Info: ESPN
