It’s almost time for kickoff. Pregame bets may still be available, but you can feel the excitement in the air of Tennessee football getting set to face the Florida Gators. Despite losing 16 of the last 17 games, the Vols seem to have all the momentum. What does that mean for this game, though? Well, history says not that much.
UT has lost its last five games to first-year Florida head coaches, and although they were only favorites in one of them, 2002, that one game happens to be one of the times College GameDay came to Knoxville and Lee Corso picked the Vols. There’s reason for Vol fans to be nervous.
Of course, then there are the factors on the field, and the key injuries along with the state of the programs is a big deal too. Josh Heupel has the Vols rolling in his second season. Billy Napier is trying to get this team more consistent. Find out what that will result in with our last-minute predictions between Tennessee football and Florida.
Here are some things that will happen between the Tennessee football Volunteers and the Gators.
![Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) rushes for a touchdown during the second half against the South Florida Bulls at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/7a7b3417c7eca524d71018cb0217d08b112ed0463c9095badbaecd7e83387009.jpg "Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) rushes for a touchdown during the second half against the South Florida Bulls at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls")
5. Florida scores first.
Don’t worry Vol fans. I picked UT to win 31-24 earlier in the week and am sticking by that, meaning they won’t cover, and they game won’t hit the over. A huge reason I made that prediction, though, is because of what’s happened in the first quarter with the Vols early in the year. It’s the opposite of last year.
The Vols are now a second-quarter team, as it takes a minute for Josh Heupel’s offense to settle down. On top of that, they’re playing Florida, and some of those psychological disadvantages will come through. All of this will result in sloppy first quarter play by UT.
As a result, Florida scores first. This isn’t a big deal for Tennessee football though. In the Vols’ five wins over Florida dating back to 1998, the Gators scored first four times, including every time the Vols have won in Knoxville. They went up 21-0 the last time the Vols dominated, so this won’t mean too much in the end.