Checker Neyland, College Gameday, and our second-highest ranking of the last 15 years.
Might as well lean all the way in.
There is no other way to do it against these guys, and we’ll do it this time as a 10-point favorite. As you can see:
It’s the biggest favorite Tennessee has ever been against Florida in 32 seasons of playing annually.
The old record is -5.5 from 20 years ago. And we lost that day, painfully and inexplicably, because that’s the way this one has gone in the past. It rained something awful and we fumbled four times in five minutes. But the more painful outcome was the lost opportunity we told ourselves was there, with Steve Spurrier out and Ron Zook in. A chance for Tennessee to assert themselves in the rivalry.
Those hurt the most, the ones where you’re most sure it’s going to go differently. Live long enough on this side in this rivalry, and you’ve hurt all the hurts. Lose on Saturday, we’ll hurt it again, only as a 10-point favorite for the first time.
But if you think the response to being the biggest favorite we’ve ever been against these guys is to shrivel up, sell your tickets.
All due respect to history and your feelings, but let’s beat these guys by a thousand.
Last night Neyland Stadium was sold out for just the third time since 2016, and the fourth time since we beat these guys six years ago. It got there for Florida and Alabama in 2016, Georgia in 2017, then Ole Miss last year.
Here’s a list of games that weren’t sold out between 2010 and now:
- 2010 Oregon
- 2011 LSU
- 2016 Appalachian State
- 2018 Florida
- 2019 BYU
- 2021 Georgia
And those are just the big ones. Tennessee announced 82,203 against Pitt in 2021, and sold out Akron in 2022.
Optimism and buy-in aren’t things you have to wait for on the other side of something on Saturday. They are present and accounted for. We’ve come a long way in a short time, and the only way you do that is, appropriately, as fast as you can.
That’s how you play Florida this week. Nevermind back, and nevermind what a win would mean for the next five years of this rivalry. We want what a win would mean for Tennessee right now. Because this group has given right now a chance to matter. And that’s all you can ask for.
Vols by a thousand.
Enjoy your week.