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ESPN makes bold prediction on Tennessee vs. Florida

On3 imageby: Andrew Graham08/26/22AndrewEdGraham
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GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 25: Tennessee Volunteers running back Jabari Small (2) is tackled by Florida Gators defensive lineman Gervon Dexter (9), Florida Gators safety Trey Dean III (0) and Florida Gators safety Rashad Torrence II (22) during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators on September 25, 2021 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The annual rivalry game between Florida and Tennessee been, of late, extremely lopsided. Since the Volunteers won back-to-back against the Gators in 2003 and 2004, Florida has won 16 of the last 17 meetings between the two squads.

Tennessee’s last win in the series came in 2016. But ESPN is predicting that the next installment of the Tennessee-Florida rivalry will not be yet another Gators win, even offering a final score prediction. As part of their predictions for the Power 5 teams this season, ESPN thinks this is the year Tennessee breaks Florida’s five-game win streak.

Via ESPN: “The Gators and Volunteers used to play in one of the sport’s most heated and competitive rivalries. With Steve Spurrier poking Tennessee whenever he could, it was annually one of the most anticipated contests in the SEC and went a long way toward deciding the SEC East champion. Since 2005, however, the Gators have remarkably won 16 of their past 17 games against the Volunteers, including five in a row. Tennessee’s only victory during that stretch was a 38-28 win at Neyland Stadium in 2016. Volunteers coach Josh Heupel will get his first win over Florida with a 38-27 victory at home on Sept. 24.”

Recent editions of the Vols-Gators matchup have not been particularly close, with Florida winning by an average of nearly 20 points since Tennessee’s last win in 2016. And since Florida started the nearly two decade-long run of dominance in the series, the Gators have won, on average, by more than two touchdowns.

There have, however, been a handful of excruciatingly close losses, too. In 2006, Tennessee came up a point short against the Gators. In 2014 and 2015, the Volunteers lost back-to-back contests to Florida by one point.

Of late, the Vols have not really been in striking distance, but ESPN thinks that is set to change this year. With Florida breaking in new head coach Billy Napier and Tennessee bringing back quarterback Hendon Hooker, among others, for Year 2 under Heupel, this could be the year this rivalry starts to get a bit less lopsided.