Tennessee vs Florida Betting Preview College Football Week 3

The college football season is now in full swing and has brought no shortage of entertainment thus far. Heading into Week 3, there aren’t many massive matchups on the schedule except for one between SEC counterparts Tennessee and Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. The kick-off is scheduled for 7 PM ET here. The Volunteers are currently ranked No. 9 in the nation and have a perfect 2-0 record thus far, hammering Austin Peay on Saturday. As for the Gators, they were embarrassed by Utah in Week 1 but redeemed themselves in Week 2 with a statement win against McNeese State. Below, we’ll preview the game.

Tennessee vs Florida History

This is a classic rivalry that is nicknamed the “Third Saturday in September”. Florida has actually been dominant in this matchup, winning 16 of the last 18 against the Vols. However, Tennessee did win in 2022 by a score of 38-33 and does appear to be the better program right now. It should be an interesting one on Saturday in Gainesville. 

Tall task for Tennessee

The Volunteers managed to secure the victory in Knoxville a year ago, but playing in the Swamp is a whole different beast. In fact, Tennessee hasn’t won in Gainesville since the 2003 season. Needless to say, it’s a long time coming for a victory on the road against the Gators. 

Tennessee rolled over Virginia in the season opener and then also convincingly handled Austin Peay. Joe Milton is a very special quarterback who spent last year backing up Hendon Hooker, who is now in the NFL. Milton has already thrown for over 400 yards for four TDs while also taking it to the house three times with his legs. He’s a dual-threat signal-caller who will continue to be integral to the Volunteers’ success.

THIS STIFF-ARM BY JOE MILTON III 😱 pic.twitter.com/GpERr4kWSh

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 2, 2023

Offensively, Tennessee was one of the best around in 22’ and that was much in part to their backfield duo of Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. Both have gotten off to a good start to begin 2022 and will be looking to wreak some havoc on Saturday in Gainesville. Defensively, Tennessee needs to slow down Florida QB Graham Mertz, a dynamic runner and passer. Vegas clearly expects them to, with the Vols sitting as a 7-point favorite at Bodog.

Florida has history on their side 

The Gators tend to always perform in Gainesville against Tennessee, which is certainly a good sign. But, they can’t take the Vols for granted, a program that has had more success in recent years. Billy Napier’s squad looked flat in Week 1 against a Cameron Rising-less Utah group, putting up a mere 11 points in a 13-point loss.

Mertz and Florida managed to bounce back though and grab their first victory of the year Saturday and it didn’t even take a big game from their QB. Mertz was 14 for 17 with 193 passing yards and one touchdown as the Gators put up 49 points. Instead, the running back room absolutely wreaked havoc. 

Florida RB Trevor Etienne finds the endzone and shows love to the #Gators’ faithful, puts the Orange & Blue up 25-0 over McNeese State@InsideTheGators pic.twitter.com/y77lFVi2IQ

— Weiss (@ZackaryWeiss_) September 10, 2023

Montrell Johnson and Treyaun Webb both had a pair of rushing TDs while Trevor Etienne also had one. Mertz found the end zone once with his legs, too. The running game is clearly a strength for Florida with lots of options and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Napier try to utilize that against Tennessee.

Nonetheless, it’s clear Florida isn’t the imposing figure of the past, which is exactly why you’ll see them as an underdog at most football betting sites.