Even though the SEC may not have divisions anymore, Tennessee will host the Florida Gators this weekend in a matchup between two former opponents from the eastern division. There is a lot of history between these two programs because they were once in the same division, so let’s look at some of their more recent history.
At 31-21 all-time against the Volunteers, Florida currently holds the series record overall. Tennessee has only prevailed twice in the series since 2005 and has only won one of the previous seven meetings. That includes the game in the Swamp last year, when Tennessee was defeated by the Gators 29–16 in the end.
This year’s matchup is favouring the Volunteers, as draft kings has Tennessee as a 15-point favourite. But since 2012, there have only been four occasions when this matchup has been decided by 15 or more points. It looks like one of those games where the outcome is always a dog fight, regardless of where the teams are sitting at the moment.
That’s very relevant to this year’s game as Tennessee is currently ranked inside of the top-15, despite the recent loss to Arkansas. Conversely, Florida has struggled to gain any traction during the season and has been limping through it. The Gators defeated UCF last weekend. It would seem obvious that Tennessee, the multiple-score favourite, would win this weekend, but the history of this game indicates that things are never that easy.
Leave a Reply