Miami (Florida) vs. Florida Best College Football Prop Bets for Week 1

Reed Wallach | Aug 30, 2024

Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) runs for the end zone for a first quarter touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, October 28, 2023. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK

There will be plenty of intrigue in Saturday afternoon's matchup between Miami and Florida as the new-look Hurricanes head to a hostile environment in Gainesville.

Can the Gators stop the Miami hype train with the emergence of wide receiver Eugene Wilson? What about Cam Ward of Miami, who will look to make a strong first impression on his new team after transferring in from Washington State?

Here's how we're hitting the player prop market on Saturday afternoon.

Best Player Props for Miami vs. Florida

• Cam Ward OVER 256.5 Passing Yards
• Eugene Wilson OVER 61.5 Receiving Yards

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Cam Ward OVER 256.5 Passing Yards

Ward comes from Washington State, where he ranked eighth in passing yards and fifth in passing attempts. While he will have more talent than he’s ever played with, including running back Damien Martinez, I believe the Hurricanes will attack with its quarterback in offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s system. 

The Gators secondary was a weak point last season, 110th in EPA/Pass and 129th in explosive pass rate. While the group may take a step forward last season after a porous effort in 2023, I still believe that the Hurricanes have far too much potency in the passing game for options throughout the game. 

After investing millions into Ward, I’ll count on a big start through the air in his debut. 

Eugene Wilson OVER 61.5 Receiving Yards

Wilson will step into the featured role for the Gators this season in favor of 2024 NFL Draft first-rounder Ricky Pearsall. 

He had 538 yards last season on 61 catches in 10 games last season in his freshman season. The now sophomore can have his coming out party against an untested Hurricanes secondary that is replacing four starters from last season. 

Graham Mertz completed more than 72% of his passes, albeit on a low average depth of target, but that should play into the speedster Wilson’s hands, literally, who is used as a short-distance route runner and can see plenty of volume. 

He averaged about 54 yards per game, so this does stick with an upgrade in role, but I believe that we can see even more from Wilson given the untested nature of the Miami defense. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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