Gators Online Gameday predictions: Florida vs. Oregon State

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In the Florida Gators’ final game of the 2022 campaign, they’ll take on the No. 14 Oregon State Beavers in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators come into this game off two-straight losses while missing multiple pieces on their roster due to the transfer portal and NFL Draft opt-outs. They’ll look to break .500 and get to 7-6.

As for the Beavers, they’re riding the momentum of three consecutive wins including an upset over in-state rival Oregon. Now, they’ll look to avoid an upset against the Gators in Sin City.

Here is how Gators Online predicts the game.

Gators Online predicts the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Zach Abolverdi: Following a blowout loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, former Florida coach Dan Mullen raised eyebrows at the time when he said it wasn’t the 2020 Gators football team that competed in the game due to NFL opt-outs. His comment has aged well with that trend becoming more prevalent, along with transfer portal departures.

Simply put, this will not be the full 2022 Florida squad taking the field in Las Vegas. UF’s roster has been decimated by roster losses, including some of their best players in Ventrell Miller, Anthony Richardson, O’Cyrus Torrence and Justin Shorter. I think this game will be closer than the 2020 Cotton Bowl, but the Gators don’t have the horses to win this one.

Oregon State, 31-21

Corey Bender: When the Gators square off in Las Vegas on Saturday, they will be down over 20 scholarship players, including quarterback Anthony Richardson. Wide receiver Justin Shorter will not be available either. However, Ohio State transfer Jack Miller is eager to prove why he should be the starter for the 2023 season. Saturday marks his first game with the Gators, while running backs Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson will certainly help take pressure off the quarterback’s shoulders as well.

With that being said though, Florida will be without a boatload of players against a 9-3 Beavers program that is itching to record a victory over an SEC team. Running back Damien Martinez, the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, will be heavily relied upon and likely reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season. Quarterback Ben Gulbranson has been reliable as well, so Oregon State is playing Florida at the perfect time.

Oregon State, 38-24

Nick de la Torre: This game gives me 2018 Peach Bowl vibes when Michigan was without multiple starters and Florida dominated from start to finish. I don’t think this game will be a blowout in that sense but the Gators are missing a ton of production. Oregon State, on the other hand, is looking for its 10th win of the year. The last time the program accomplished that was in 2006.

Quarterback Ben Gulbranson took over starting duties in Week 6 against Stanford and OSU has gone 5-1 since. Their defense is one of the best in the Pac-12 and will be a test for Florida. Coming into the game OSU has the nation’s 20th-ranked rushing defense, and it’s second only to Utah in the conference. That is a Utah defense that Florida ran for 283 yards on in the season opener, however, 106 of those were Anthony Richardson, who won’t be on the field Saturday. Not to mention, O’Cyrus Torrence won’t be blocking either.

If Florida can run the ball on OSU, they have a chance. They’ll need to try and establish that early. But it just feels like one team is limping into Allegiant Stadium and one is looking to make a statement. 

Oregon State, 38-24

Donavon Keiser: With Jack Miller at the helm and Florida’s inexperienced receiver unit, Florida’s offense may struggle to get going. It doesn’t help that Oregon State is stout when it comes to run defense. Throughout the year, the Gators have relied on their rushing game behind Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne.

The Beavers will sell out to stop the run, which they are very good at, ranking 20th in rushing yards allowed per game at 114 ypg. If the Gators struggle to establish the run early, it could be tough. Although the Beavers stop the run effectively, I believe Florida will pull the upset. I expect the game to be a possession game throughout with the Gators narrowly escaping in Vegas. 

Florida, 34-31

Pat O’Donnell: The Gators are going into Saturday’s game a very different team from when they last took the gridiron in Tallahassee. Those who did make the trip are certainly looking to make a statement against the No. 14 team in the country. This Oregon State team is no joke, and it wants to get to 10 wins for the first time since 2006.

Expect a heavy dose of both Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne, but the question is how many big runs can they get as Oregon State’s run defense is stout. On the other side of the football, I question whether the Florida front seven can stop the Beavers’ rushing attack for 60 minutes. The Gators make OSU earn it but ultimately fall short in Las Vegas.

Oregon State, 27-24

Tracking our picks

Writer	Record	Utah	UK	USF	Tenn	EWU	Mizzou	LSU	UGA	A&M	SC	Vandy	FSU
Bender	8-4	UF ✅	UF ❌	UF ✅	Tenn ✅	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	UGA ✅	A&M ❌	UF ✅	UF ❌	FSU✅
Abolverdi	8-4	Utah ❌	UF ❌	UF ✅	Tenn ✅	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	UGA ✅	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	FSU✅
O’Donnell	7-5	UF ✅	UF ❌	UF ✅	UF ❌	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	UGA ✅	A&M ❌	UF ✅	UF ❌	FSU✅
Keiser	7-5	Utah ❌	UF ❌	UF ✅	UF ❌	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	UGA ✅	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	FSU✅
de la Torre	5-7	Utah ❌	UF ❌	UF ✅	UF ❌	UF ✅	UF ✅	UF ❌	UGA ✅	A&M ❌	UF ✅	UF ❌	UF ❌