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Week one of the 2024 college football season went about as bad as it could have for the Florida Gators. Florida was embarrassed by in-state rival Miami in The Swamp.

Week two will see several changes in personnel, most notably freshman DJ Lagway will get his first start against Samford. Lagway entered the game late against Miami after Graham Mertz left with a concussion. Mertz is still in concussion protocol at the time of this piece. The Gators are also down three starters in the secondary, and will be playing a ton of youth against what should be an outmatched Samford squad.

Our prognosticators took big L’s last week and bought into the hype the program was selling but will look to make up for it this week.

The following are our staff’s weekly prediction:

Brian Fox (season record: 0-1): This game should be such a blowout that BetESPN isn’t even taking odds on it. In ESPN’s matchup predictor, Florida has a 97.7% chance at winning. Yet, I’m hesitant to believe UF is going to call their shot. Why? Simply put, I don’t trust the Gators. I admit that DJ Lagway should spark the offense a bit but the signal caller on the other side (Quincy Crittendon) threw for over 300 yards and rushed for 95 more in their first game of the season. He’s a bad matchup for what appeared to be a terrible front seven for Florida in week one. Fortunately for Florida, the Bulldogs defense looked bad against West Georgia, allowing 456 yards and 24 first downs. Florida should win, but I think the first half is stressful. Gators, 44-24.

Ryan Friedwald (season record: 0-1): With DJ Lagway given the start this week due to Mertz’s concussion, Florida fans have something to look forward to after the massacre last Saturday. The Gators should win this game comfortably on both sides of the ball. This is the perfect game for DJ Lagway to make his first start and for the defense to regain some confidence. I hope we see a more aggressive playbook from Billy Napier this week. The fans need hope again and the best way to do that is by scoring points. Florida wins comfortably, 42-3.

Aiden Wacksman (season record 0-1): The Gators will luckily have the opportunity to bounce back from their brutal week one loss. DJ Lagway, one of the few bright spots in the Miami loss, will take the starting role this week as Graham Mertz recovers from a concussion. The offense should have a field day against a Samford unit that allowed over 450 yards in its season opener against West Georgia. Florida will also have the opportunity to recoup defensively after being gashed in in The Swamp. Hopefully, this defensive unit will share no similarities to the 2021 squad that allowed 52 points to Samford. Florida 45, Samford 17.

Florida and Samford are set to kickoff from the Swamp at 7:00 PM. The game will not be aired on national television but can be streamed on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.

What do you think will be the final score of the game?