The college basketball season is finally here, and among the opening salvo of games on the 2026-27 schedule is a Sunshine State showdown between the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes in Tampa.
Florida begins the season as the No. 1 team in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25, while Miami starts at Nos. 17 and 14, respectively. The Gators are also the top overall seed in ESPN's preseason bracketology, the top-ranked team in the preseason edition of the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings and ranked second in the initial Basketball Power Index.
Ahead of the 71st matchup between the two schools on the collegiate parquet, CBS Sports' panel of five experts weighed in with their predictions and pick for the season opener. Four of them
— Gary Parrish, Matt Norlander, Cameron Salerno and Isaac Trotter — picked the Orange and Blue to win straight up, while David Cobb picked the Orange and Green to prevail on Monday night.
Three of them (Parrish, Norlander and Trotter) predict that Florida will cover the 5.5-point spread.
"The key matchup to watch is how Miami's frontcourt stacks up against Florida's, which is arguably the best trio (Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon) in the nation. Will Malik Reneau and Somto Cyril be able to limit the damage? If so, this game will be tight down the stretch," Salerno offers.
"Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis has looked awesome for Miami during its exhibition games. He has a chance to be a real star this season. I'm picking Florida to win, but Miami to cover."
Florida and Miami tip off the season opener on Monday at 6 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
BetMGM's Florida vs. Miami odds, money line, over/under
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Nov. 2
- Spread: Florida by 5.5
- Over/under: 158.5
- Moneyline: +200 / -250
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: CBS Sports' prediction, pick for Florida's season opener against Miami
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