Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Florida Football: Will Gators finally win “big game” vs. Virginia in Orange Bowl

By Shelbie Warr

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 30: Kyle Trask #11 of the Florida Gators passes during a game against the Florida State Seminoles at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 30: Kyle Trask #11 of the Florida Gators passes during a game against the Florida State Seminoles at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Kyle Trask and Florida football are set to take on Virginia in the Capital One Orange Bowl. What do you need to know about this matchup?

In one of the last games of 2019, the Florida Gators take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Will Florida finally win the “big game” of their season? They finished just outside of the top group for the College Football Playoff and now they are set to play the runner up of the ACC in Virginia who was absolutely killed by Clemson in the ACC Championship.

The Cavs sit at 9-4 and are looking to do something that hasn’t happened a lot for them in recent history, winning a bowl game. Will they be able to slow down the Gators and stand up to their defensive front?

Here is how you can catch the matchup.

Date: Monday, Dec. 30
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Miami, Fla.
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
TV: ESPN
Stream: WatchESPN

Betting Odds

Courtesy of The Action Network

Line: Florida -14
Over/Under: 54.5

Keys to Victory

Virginia’s Bryce Perkins has to show up at quarterback and be ready to take on the Florida defense. On top of that, the pass rush has to show up and be sure that Kyle Trask doesn’t have the time he needs to really get his offense going.

For Florida, it’s all about getting Trask that protection and then being the defense we all know they are — holding the SEC’s best pass rush and it really isn’t even close. They also need to finally win this one — the “big game” that has eluded them this season and kept them out of the playoff as they couldn’t find a win over LSU or Georgia. It was close against the Bulldogs, but a loss is a loss.

Next. Ranking college football's top 50 fanbases. dark

Prediction

Dan Mullen is 6-2 in bowl game experiences and his team is likely the more talented of these two units. Now they just have to prove it and I believe they will, starting on the defensive end and ending with Trask at quarterback.

Final Score: Florida 38, Virginia 17

Home/Florida Gators