The Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators will face off in the fourth week of college football action. It's time to continue our college football odds series and make a Tennessee-Florida prediction and pick.
Tennessee finally looks like they're back on the right track as a program. New head coach Josh Heupel has gone 2-1 in his first three contests, with his only loss coming to a respectable Pittsburgh Panthers squad. The Volunteers will face their biggest challenge here against the Gators. Florida looked good in week three in a contest against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and they have hopes of challenging for the SEC crown. A win here would go a long way for both programs, so this should be one of the most entertaining matchups of the week.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds for Saturday's game.
CFB Odds: Tennessee-Florida Odds
Tennessee Volunteers +20 (-110)
Florida Gators -20 (-110)
Over 63 points (-110)
Under 63 points (-110)
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Why Tennessee Could Cover The Spread
The Vols have proven themselves to be one of the better offensive teams in college football. They average a whopping 36 points per game to go along with 422 yards per game. Granted, they haven't faced much competition, but their numbers are still impressive. The offensive line has looked impressive, and whichever quarterback Heupel has chosen to play has played well. This Florida defense is menacing, but the Vols should be up to the task offensively.
Tennessee's real advantage comes on the defensive side of things. Florida hasn't had a quarterback break 200 passing yards in a game, and they opened the season against Florida Atlantic and South Florida. The Gators have been absolutely deadly running the football, but the Vols have been one of the nation's best defenses in that category. Tennessee has allowed 1.9 yards per carry and only 64 yards per game, two of the best numbers in all of college football. It's fair to expect another solid performance at the very least from this run defense.
Florida has also been prone to turning the football over. Gators quarterback Emory Jones has thrown five interceptions over three games, and only one of those picks was against Alabama. This Tennessee defense has a great chance to put on a show against an offense that isn't quite as good as everyone thinks it is.
Why Florida Could Cover The Spread
Florida's offense may be overrated, but the Gators are still a top-20 offense at the very least. Head coach Dan Mullen's unit currently ranks as the seventh-best offense in the nation in terms of yardage per game, with a vast majority of those yards coming on the ground. They managed to put up 29 points on Alabama and nearly came away with a win in the process, a feat that should never be overlooked.
Another factor that comes into play in this game is Tennessee's strength of schedule. The Volunteers haven't seen an offense like Florida's this season, so this will be a huge step up in competition for them. It will be nearly impossible for the Vols to keep up their stellar run defense against this Florida team that may end up as the best rushing team in the nation.
This Gators defense will easily be the best squad that Tennessee has faced this season, and the Volunteers didn't fare all that well the last time they played a decent defense. Tennessee managed to put up 34 points against Pitt, but they also allowed five sacks and turned the ball over three times. Florida is a much better team than Pitt is, so expect Tennessee to struggle in the early stages of this game at the very least.
Final Tennessee-Florida Prediction & Pick
This game won't be nearly as one-sided as the bookmakers think. Tennessee will struggle to get their offense going, but the defense should keep them in the game. Once the Volunteers settle in, this contest should turn into a close game. The bookmakers aren't giving Tennessee the credit they deserve, making this one an easy pick.
FINAL PICK: Tennessee Volunteers +20 (-110)
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