Tennessee football: SEC confirms Vols vs. Florida to remain in Gainesville

Tennessee football is set to face the Florida Gators in The Swamp. The Volunteers will play in Gainesville despite the concerns of Hurricane Irma’s effect.

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Tennessee football is still heading down to Florida for its match-up with the Gators this week. After concerns about the effects Hurricane Irma had on the area, there was a chance it could move somewhere else.

However, SEC officials announced Tuesday that the game will stick to its regular schedule, at 3:30 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The announcement officially came shortly before noon on Thursday. Jimmy Hyams, however, broke the news a bit earlier on Twitter.

Given the fact that classes are going to return to schedule on Wednesday, it makes sense that the Vols and Gators would keep the game there. Every other option was an iffy one.

The idea of moving it to Neyland Stadium would mean Tennessee football would have to face Florida on the road next year along with the Georgia Bulldogs. That would make for a brutal SEC slate.

But moving the game to Atlanta was not a good idea either. It’s not like that area avoided all of Irma’s wrath.

So getting the game in Gainesville was definitely the best option for everyone, and it seems to have worked out.

The Vols obviously have a history of road games against teams affected by hurricanes. One of their greatest comebacks came in 2005 against the LSU Tigers following the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Of course, that was a Monday night game, and Tennessee football ended up going 5-6 in a disastrous year that season.

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This year, the game is not postponed like the LSU game was. But it will still be a storyline throughout. That makes it even more important for the Vols to keep their focus when the two meet in this huge SEC East game Saturday.