The 2020 Cotton Bowl Classic is part of the New Year’s Six Bowl Game rotation and pits the No. 7 Florida Gators (8-3) against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (8-2). Florida lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and will be without its top four receivers while the Big 12 Champion Sooners are looking to win their eighth straight game.
Kickoff from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is set for 8 pm ET on Wednesday night and will be televised on ESPN.
While both teams have decades of tradition, championships and success, the Sooners and Gators have only met on the field one time. That came on Jan. 8, 2009, in Miami Gardens as Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer and the Gators bested Sam Bradford and Bob Stoops 24-14 in the National Championship Game.
Who Catches the Ball for Florida?
The Gators have the nation’s most prolific passing offense with 388.4 yards per game this season. Quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask has 4,125 passing yards on 70% completion rate. He has a school-record 43 touchdown passes to just five interceptions.
However, he will be without his top four receivers in the Cotton Bowl. All-America tight end Kyle Pitts declared for the NFL draft after catching 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Wideout Kadarius Toney (70 catches, 984 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Trevon Grimes (38 catches, 589 yards, nine touchdowns) will also skip the game to get ready for the draft.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Jacob Copeland (23 catches, 435 yards, three touchdowns) will be unavailable due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests. That leaves Justin Shorter (23 catches, 246 yards, three touchdowns) as the most experienced wide receiver plus two tight ends who have a combined 16 catches this season.
The Florida run game accounted for just 120 yards per game this season but will need to produce against Oklahoma. Dameon Pierce has 443 yards and four touchdowns, while Malik Davis has 279 yards, and both average 4.7 yards per carry. Davis is also a weapon in the passing game with 29 catches for 358 yards on the season.
Rattler Continues to Grow for Oklahoma
The Sooners had a slow start to the season with losses to Kansas State and Iowa State dropping them to 1-2. Redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler improved throughout the season, and he totaled 10 touchdowns to two interceptions over the last five games as the Sooners averaged 43.8 points per game.
On the season, Rattler has 25 touchdowns, seven interceptions and 2,784 passing yards as Oklahoma ranks 12th in the country with 321 passing yards per game. His top targets are Marvin Mims (36 catches, 583 yards, eight touchdowns) and Theo Wease (36 catches, 494 yards, three touchdowns).
Tight ends Jeremiah Hall and Austin Stogner have combined for 42 catches, 616 yards and eight touchdowns.
Oklahoma runs the ball by committee, and none of the backs have tallied 500 yards this season. Rhamondre Stevenson has 479 yards and six scores, while T.J. Pledger has 451 yards and five touchdowns.
Cotton Bowl Classic Betting Line
The line originally opened with Florida at -3, but after all its roster dropouts, the Sooners are now -2.5. The total is 70 points, and the Gators are a +110 moneyline underdog.
Neither pass defense has been good all season, but Oklahoma does rank 20th in total defense. Both teams are top 11 in the country in scoring, and they combine to average 83.4 points per game.
The Sooners are plus-four in turnover margin while the Gators are minus-two. If Florida was at full strength, the over would be the play, but without its offensive weapons, take the Sooners.
Free Pick: Oklahoma -2.5 (-110)
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