Our weekly “Ugly Underdog” column got its first cover of the season last Saturday, thanks to a valiant effort from Wyoming on the road against Texas.

It was a really tricky situational spot for the Longhorns after an emotional win over Alabama the week before, and that showed in the box score as the game was tied, 10-10, before Texas put up 21 points on the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. 

We’ll fade another big favorite in a similar spot this coming Saturday, albeit with a worse team than Wyoming. 

Things can change in the blink of an eye in college football.

Just three weeks ago, it looked as if Florida was in for a rough season after an uninspiring 24-11 loss to Utah (which was missing its starting quarterback) in the season-opener.

A win over McNeese State a week later didn’t move the needle much, but the mood around the Swamp changed in Week 3 when Tennessee came to town.

The Gators, who were a small underdog at home against the Volunteers, took over the contest in the first half and never really looked back.

They had the Vols on the ropes and never let them off the mat.

It was a massive victory for Billy Napier and the Gators as they look to get moving in the right direction after back-to-back six-win seasons in 2021 and 2022.

Florida will now look to carry that momentum into a Week 4 matchup against Charlotte on Tom Petty Day at the Swamp.

The Gators are 28-point favorites at the time of writing. 

Similar to Texas’ game last week, this is a tough sandwich spot for the Gators.

Not only are they coming off a backs-against-the-wall win over an SEC rival at the Swamp, but they have a trip to Lexington to take on Kentucky on deck for Week 5.

But it’s not just the spot that makes Charlotte a good bet to keep this game within four touchdowns. There also are some signals in the numbers that put some value on the 49ers here, even on the road.

While Florida’s defense has done some heavy lifting to get the Gators to 2-1, there’s still some cause for concern on the offensive side of the ball.

Graham Mertz did an effective job managing the game against Tennessee, but he’s not the type of quarterback to rack up explosive plays, which is what you’d be looking for in a situation when you need to cover a 28-point spread.

Mertz was 19-for-24 against Tennessee, but he threw for only 166 yards and a touchdown. Most of the damage was done on the ground, through Trevor Etienne and his 172 yards rushing. 

Charlotte’s offense, meanwhile, is quite the opposite.

The 49ers rely on explosiveness and should be able to hit one or two against a defense that, for all of its strengths, does have a tendency to allow too many big plays.

Another signal that points to Charlotte is that neither one of the offenses play with much tempo.

The Gators rank 85th nationally in seconds per play, while Biff Poggi’s 49ers currently rank as the 105th-fastest offense in FBS.

The clock should be moving, which is a good thing when you’re backing a big underdog like Charlotte. 

Florida’s performance against Tennessee should have plenty people contemplating getting on the bandwagon, but that’s often the perfect time to zag the other way.

Back Poggi and the boys to keep this one somewhat respectable in the Swamp. 

The Pick: UNC-Charlotte +28 (-110, FanDuel)