A head-to-head SEC football rivalry matchup that the Gators have owned recently, Florida is set to host Tennessee on Saturday night in Gainesville for one of the conference’s premier matchups this weekend. Aside from last season’s contest where Tennessee defeated Florida in Knoxville, 38-33, the Gators had previously won five consecutive matchups from 2017-21, with the Volunteers last victory in Gainesville having come back in 2003.
Led by head coach Billy Napier, Florida comes into Saturday sitting at 1-1 for the season. After a 24-11 road loss at Utah to open the 2023 season in Week 1, Florida would bounce back last week at home by defeating McNeese State, 49-7.
Averaging 30 PPG, the Gators offense is led by one of the SEC’s top running back duos in Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne, who are joined in the backfield by quarterback Graham Mertz. True freshman Treyaun Webb has also impressed at running back so far this season, while the receiving game has been headlined by Ricky Pearsall, who has 14 receptions for 215 yards and a score this season so far.
The Gators defense is allowing 15.5 PPG to opponents this season so far, and are led in tackles by sophomore linebacker Shemar James with 19 total. Jordan Castell is the Gators lone other player with double-digit tackles this season, while a few others such as Jamari Lyons, Jaydon Hill, Scooby Williams, and more have also impressed.
Led by head coach Josh Heupel, the Volunteers come to Gainesville ranked as the nation’s No. 11 team according to the AP Poll, and are sitting at 2-0 this season. Tennessee has defeated Virginia and Austin Peay so far this season, with the latter coming by a final score of 30-13 last Saturday.
The Volunteers offense enters Saturday averaging 39.5 PPG, and are also led by a strong running back trio in Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright, and Dylan Sampson, who join quarterback Joe Milton III in the Tennessee backfield. Tennessee also has three main names at wide receiver, which includes the returning Bru McCoy, Squirrel White, and Ramel Keyton.
Defensively, the Volunteers are allowing 13 PPG to opponents, and are one of SEC football’s top teams so far this season when it comes to sacks, having a combined 11 through two games with the likes of Tyler Baron and James Pearce Jr. leading the way. Tennessee also has two double-digit tacklers in Aaron Beasley and Wesley Walker, who have combined for 22 tackles, 8.5 TFL, and three sacks so far this year.
Florida vs. Tennessee Line, Spread, Over/Under
According to FanDuel, Tennessee is a 6.5-point favorite over Florida as of Wednesday afternoon, with the over/under at 58.5. The Volunteers are -250, while Florida is +205.
Florida vs. Tennessee SEC Football Prediction
In front of what will be a packed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, I’ll say that Tennessee picks up a big road win Saturday night in a close contest against the Gators. A big reason for this will be a strong showing from the Volunteers defense, as well as Tennessee getting the best game of the season so far from quarterback Joe Milton III. Prediction: Florida 24, Tennessee 27
What Channel is the Florida vs. Tennessee Game On?
The matchup between Florida and No. 11 Tennessee will be played Saturday, September 16 from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN.
Florida vs. Tennessee Live Stream
A live stream of the SEC football matchup between Florida and Tennessee can be found on fuboTV here.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change