The Florida Gators football team's Week 3 matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers will mark the beginning of SEC play for both teams. This is one of the more heated and historic rivalries in the conference—or at least it used to be. There's no doubt this game, which falls every third weekend in September, is still one of those games that Gators and Volunteers fans circle on their calendars every year. However, nationally, it's lost some of its luster. Why? Because the Gators have dominated the contest for the better part of two decades.

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The concerning part for the Gators football team is that the Volunteers finally got the best of them for the first time since 2016 last season, beating them 38-33. The Volunteers dominated most of that game, and it wasn't until late in the game that the Gators made a comeback off some fluke plays. Both of the Volunteers' past wins, however, have been in Knoxville at Neyland Stadium. The Gators haven't lost to the Volunteers in Gainesville since 2003. In that span, the Gators have outscored the Volunteers 298-168 at The Swamp. Needless to say, playing at The Swamp isn't Tennessee fans' favorite place for their team to play.

The Gators will be hoping to use this as some much-needed motivation as the Volunteers enter the Week 3 matchup as 6.5 point favorites. This is actually much closer given that neither team has been that impressive this season. The Gators, opening in a tough environment in Week 1, traveled all the way to Salt Lake City, UT, and lost to Utah 24-11, where they looked outmatched in nearly every way. They at least followed up with a 49-7 victory over FCS opponent McNeese State.

The AP Poll No. 11 ranked Volunteers, on the other hand, have had convincing victories, although against much lesser opponents like Virginia and Austin Peay. The concerning part for the Volunteers is that they just haven't had the same spark on offense in those two games as they did a year ago. But they could be waiting to break that out against the Gators. With that said, let's get into some Florida football predictions for the much-anticipated Week 3 matchup.

4. Graham Mertz to have a career day

Going back to his days at Wisconsin, before the Utah game in Florida's opener this season, Mertz only had one game in his entire career in which he threw for over 250 yards. Wisconsin, of course, has always been a very run-heavy team, but most had perceived that Mertz was basically handcuffed in that offense, which never allowed him to reach his full potential as a passer. In the game against the Utes, Mertz threw for 344 yards, a career high.

It bodes well for Mertz and the Gators football team that the Volunteers are coming off a season where they had one of the worst pass defenses in the country. The Gators coaching staff and fans alike are hoping that Mertz will continue to develop himself as a quarterback who can throw balls down the field, and the game against the Volunteers is where he could continue to develop in that aspect. Even with the improvements the Tennessee made on the defensive side of the ball, this could still be a weakness for them. Look for Mertz to make some plays down the field, having a career day for himself.

3. The Gators defense will create at least three turnovers

Again, this is a rough environment for anyone to play in, especially the Volunteers. New Tennessee starting quarterback Joe Milton is going to have to prove himself in this game and that he can handle the pressure as he enters what will be one of the toughest atmospheres he'll face all season long. Accuracy has long been Milton's weakness. Granted, when he throws, it's usually over everybody because of his incredibly strong arm. Still, look for the this year's Florida football team's defense to be coming into their own and making progress under new defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, creating some turnovers, whether that be fumbles or picks.

2. The Gators will cut down red zone mistakes

Of the nine penalties the Gators accrued against Utah in the opener, three of those were in the red zone, costing them touchdowns and only netting them three points overall. That was on the road in a tough environment at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Gators at least have the advantage of being at home facing one of their biggest rivals. The Gators showed they could have productive drives against the Utes, until penalties would cost them, missing out on chances to score. Look for a more inviting home setting to ease the nerves, making the Gators more efficient in the red zone and cutting down on those penalties.

1. The Gators keep it close for a while, but…

As has been emphasized—the Gators have a great advantage of having this year's contest against the Volunteers on their home turf at The Swamp. The primetime aspect of this matchup is huge for this as well. That Gators fandom will be fierce, loud, and electric, no doubt. That, in turn, should motivate the team to come out and make a statement against the Volunteers, who are a 6.5 point favorite, according to FanDuel.

The better team here is still the Volunteers, however, who are looking to build something special off last year's highly successful season that ended in a victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. This one may get sloppy at times, for both teams, with turnovers coming from both. The Gators will use their home turf as an advantage for a large portion of the game, up until maybe the fourth quarter. But then the Volunteers and their depth will start to come through and eventually pull away late. The Gators lose for the first time to the Volunteers at home since 2003, making Gator nation question even more the hiring of Billy Napier.