It might seem like a silly exercise to predict the “loudest” games of the 2023 season, but there’s also little doubt that playing in a raucous environment, especially while on the road, can change the outcome of a game.
With that said, there’s no way to tell which games will be the most intense before they are played. The experts at 247Sports instead relied on capacity metrics and top-25 matchups. For example, Miami-Florida State is the No. 17 game on the list because of the heated in-state rivalry.
Florida appears twice on the list. The Tennessee Volunteers haven’t won in Gainesville since 2003, and the Florida faithful will do their part to influence the game. That means deafening tones bouncing off the orange walls of the Swamp for at least three hours. This could be the biggest game of Billy Napier’s second year as Florida’s head coach.
“The Swamp is a hostile environment for any team, especially when Tennessee is the visiting team,” Brad Crawford of 247Sports wrote. “This is a season-defining matchup for the Gators too and holds equal importance.”
But that won’t be the loudest game Florida plays in, according to Crawford. Florida’s Nov. 11 road matchup against LSU sits at No. 2 on the list — No. 1 is Georgia-Tennessee at Neyland as the Vols attempt to upset the ‘Dawgs and climb atop the SEC East. Death Valley will play home to one of the most “underrated” rivalries in the sport, and Tigers fans have already registered seismograph readings at home (OT win over Alabama in 2022).
Florida will have plenty of tough battles this season, but those two might be the most intense games on the list. Of course, winning those games would likely only lead to more dramatic situations — the kind unforeseen by those expecting the Gators to be hovering around .500 at season’s end.
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