Ivan Maisel addresses whether or not Florida game is program-defining for Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers will have the eyes of the nation upon them as the Florida Gators, and College GameDay, come to Knoxville on Saturday. Although a win versus Florida would be their second victory over a ranked opponent this season, On3’s Ivan Maisel argues there’s more important games that could help define the program under Josh Heupel this season.

“Up to this point, sure, but it’s Week 4 and Georgia’s looming out there, and for that matter, so is Kentucky,” said Ivan Maisel, breaking down his view of the weekend matchup on 3 Questions with Ivan Maisel for On3.

“It’s a little early to establish anything. It’s kind of interesting about Tennessee, it’s been so long since they’ve been able to beat Florida, but now, that’s not the team they have to beat, it’s not the mountain they need to climb. That one’s in Athens and no one’s beating those guys lately.”

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Tennessee needs win over Florida to gain top-10 status

The two SEC East rivals are slated for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS on Saturday. Florida won last year’s matchup but the ESPN matchup predictor gives the Vols an 87.4% chance at victory at home this time around.

The home-field advantage could be a major factor for Tennessee on Saturday. Billy Napier’s first-year squad hasn’t played on the road yet this season.

“One thing at a time, the Vols will focus heavily on this game, the whole campus is poised, they’re going to be poised,” Maisel said. “If they get that, then we’ll see where they are.”

In addition to the on-the-road factors, quarterback Anthony Richardson failed to meet the moment in his first SEC game of the year versus Kentucky. The Vols have the blueprint to beat the Gators and doing so could move them into the top 10 for the first time since 2016.