Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers: Score Predictions and Takes!
The regular season is coming to a close, but before the No. 6 Florida Gators take on the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2020 SEC Championship Game, UF must first handle the 3-5 LSU Tigers.
It should be pretty easy for Florida to do so, and the team will be motivated while celebrating senior night in The Swamp.
With that, below you can find our staff score predictions and takes involving the game. Oddsshark currently views the Gators as 23.5-point favorites with the over/under set at 68.5 points. However, as usual, the staff pick records are not based on the spread.
Zach Goodall (8-1): Florida 45, LSU 14
I've said it all year and I'll say it again: This is a game where Florida can prove its ability to run the football. Will it?
Head coach Dan Mullen said after the Tennessee game that UF didn't put much of an effort into doing so, and the results were ugly in that department with just 19 yards on 17 attempts. Still, Florida won handily through the air and with great defense until garbage-time.
LSU's defense is the worst in program history, according to Glen West of SI's LSU Country. Florida should be able to pass the ball at will to cement Kyle Trask's Heisman case, but Dameon Pierce and Co., too, are capable of having a big night.
Defensively, LSU will probably start its third quarterback this season in true freshman Max Johnson, and while he may find some success against UF's inconsistent defense, I'm not betting on very much.
Demetrius Harvey (8-1): Florida 50, LSU 14
The No. 6 Florida Gators are heading into a matchup against the LSU Tigers that they absolutely should be able to handle from start to finish. Finishing first in the Eastern division of the SEC for the first time since 2016 ought to be all the motivation the team needs to be incredibly successful against a bad Tigers team that has struggled to win at 3-5 thus far this season.
Florida will continue to dominate through the air, but the question heading into today’s game will be whether or not they can do so on the ground after struggling mightily in that area last week against Tennessee. Look for Florida to try to get Dameon Pierce, Nay’Quan Wright and Malik Davis on a roll throughout the contest.
The Gators should be able to handle LSU this week, and I have them very easily covering this week's spread.
Brandon Carroll (8-1): Florida 54, LSU 14
Facing off against an LSU team that is a shell of its former self compared to last season, the Gators have an opportunity to make a statement against their cross-divisional rival. With much anticipation for their matchup versus Alabama next weekend, a big win against the Tiger would prove huge heading into the SEC Championship Game.
Looking to finally put together a complete game both offensively and defensively before the showdown in Atlanta for the first time this season, there’s no better week to showcase their abilities than the last one of the regular season. As a result, I believe the Gators come into senior night highly motivated to send a message to the college football world and take care of business with a dominant victory over the Bayou Bengals.
Donovan Keiser (8-1): Florida 48, LSU 17
In what should be an emotional send-off in the Swamp, Florida should have no issue with a depleted 3-5 LSU team.
UF's gameplan should be rather vanilla, considering Dan Mullen and his staff won't show their hand moving into the SEC Championship next week. Trask, in his final game in the Swamp, should post serious numbers to further boost his Heisman case, as Mac Jones is following him closely for the top spot.
On defense, Florida won’t have to stop many of LSU’s dangerous playmakers, as most of them have opted out of this season.
I don’t see this game being close, and Mullen should keep his foot on the gas considering it is senior night. Gators win big.
Michael Knauff (8-1): Florida 52, LSU 24
I honestly feel bad for LSU quarterbacks TJ Finley and Max Johnson. They’re two top pass catchers, Terrace Marshall and Arik Gilbert, opted out, and they’re now leading receiver, Jaray Jenkins, has less than 350 receiving yards on the season. Couple that with what has become a ferocious Gators pass rush, and this is a recipe for success for Florida.
Add in that it’s senior night for Kyle Trask and 26 other Gators, and it’ll be a special night in the Swamp. I expect Trask and the offense to be fully unleashed, and send the Bayou Bengals back to their tattered den with their tail between their legs. Trask lights up LSU for more than 400 yards and at least four touchdowns.
Graham Marsh (7-2): Florida 63, LSU 7
The Gators will look for style points against the wounded animal on the side of the road that is the LSU Tigers this week.
Watching the Alabama-LSU game last week, the Tigers have some of the worst secondary play I’ve ever seen. In the camera frame on TV, there would literally not be an LSU player in the shot because they left a Crimson Tide wide receiver so open. Look for more of the same against Kyle Trask and Florida's dominant passing offense.
