Florida football hits the road this week to take on the Missouri Tigers inside Memorial Stadium — a place the program has prevailed just twice in six total tries, with the last victory coming in 2019.
Ahead of the SEC showdown in Columbia, five members of USA TODAY Sports' writing staff offered their predictions as the Gators look to start the Jon Sumrall era with five straight wins.
"The Tigers are coming off a tough Week 4 loss to Mississippi State and will look to take it out on a visiting Florida team that's among the hottest in the country," author Zac Al-Khateeb notes. "Can Jon Sumrall, even with Jadan Baugh in tow, keep the Gators from a hangover after thrashing a top-10 Mississippi team?"
The answer to that question appears to be a resounding
"yes," as all five respondents — Craig Meyer, Austin Curtright, John Leuzzi, Jordan Mendoza and Adam Bittner — chose the Orange and Blue to prevail on Saturday.
"Jon Sumrall has made the Gators legit, but a trip to Missouri has trap written all over it following a major victory," Mendoza offers. "Luckily, the Tigers aren’t that scary, so Jaden Baugh and company shouldn’t have too much trouble running over Mizzou to remain undefeated."
The Week 5 matchup between Florida and Missouri is slated to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
USA TODAY Sports' predictions for Florida vs. Missouri
- Craig Meyer: Florida 37, Missouri 28
- Austin Curtright: Florida 31, Missouri 23
- John Leuzzi: Florida 27, Missouri 21
- Jordan Mendoza: Florida 33, Missouri 20
- Adam Bittner: Florida 31, Missouri 17
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: USA TODAY Sports offers its predictions, picks for Florida vs Missouri
