Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images. Pictured: Kadarius Toney, Florida Gators
A significant line move in the Cotton Bowl followed the news of two of Florida’s top weapons opting out of the game.
Trevon Grimes announced he would skip the game to focus on the NFL Draft. At that time, the line was still back-and-forth between Florida -3 and -2.5.
Kadarius Toney was the surprise.
Toney shortly after announced he also was skipping the game, and that’s when the line moved in a big way.
After opening at Florida -3, the line has completely flipped to Oklahoma -3 at some places, like PointsBet, at time of publish. Others, like FanDuel, have Oklahoma -2.5. Live odds can be found here.
Toney, a senior, has 70 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. He caught 8 passes for 153 yards against Alabama in the SEC title game.
Grimes caught 38 balls for 589 yards and 9 touchdowns.
What does this mean on the field for Florida?
From our college football expert Collin Wilson:
Kadarius Toney’s departure leaves Florida without its biggest third down, play action and screen pass target on the team. His departure, along with Trevon Grimes, will leave a huge hole for Trask to fill. No other player remaining on offense has more than 13 targets on third down or on passes over 20 yards.
There are other areas where this will impact the game, such as special teams and defensive assignments for Oklahoma’s defense.
It gets worse, as Florida’s No. 3 receiver Jacob Copeland also announced he’ll miss the game due to COVID-19.
While it may be tempting to run to the book and grab Florida on the other side, even if it’s just a contrarian play, it may be wise to hold to see if Heisman candidate Kyle Trask remains in the game or not.