Billy Napier is one of the best underdogs in college football

Florida head coach Billy Napier is only 9-8 through his first 17 games at Florida. The former staffer at Alabama under Nick Saban and Clemson under Dabo Swinney has suffered five double-digit losses in Gainesville and fielded one of the worst defenses in the SEC last season. Yet, he is one of the top underdogs in college football.

At FanDuel, Kentucky is currently a 1.5-point favorite over Florida. The Wildcats are laying points in this game for the first time under Mark Stoops. On Saturday, they’ll have to beat a head coach that has thrived in this situation.

In his sixth year as a head football coach, Billy Napier owns a 49-20 overall record. The former Arizona State offensive coordinator won two Sun Belt titles at Louisiana and is putting together a second consecutive top-10 high school recruiting class in Gainesville. Some of Napier’s best moments have come as an underdog. The 44-year-old offensive play-calling head coach is 17-5-1 against the spread (ATS) as a dog with 10 outright wins.

At Louisiana, Billy Napier’s team beat No. 23 Iowa State on the road as an 11-point underdog and won outright as an underdog three times in 2021 as the team ripped off 13 consecutive victories. At Florida, Napier has knocked off ranked Utah and Tennessee at home. Under his watch, the Gators also went on the road and beat Texas A&M by 17 as a one-point dog. Florida also took top-10 Florida State and Tennessee teams to the wire last season.

To get to 5-0, Kentucky will have to beat a head coach who has thrived in these situations. The Wildcats are 15-9 ATS as a home favorite since 2019.