College football analysts at Sports Illustrated have made their selections for the 2023 edition of the Florida Gators and No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers rivalry game.
The spread sits at seven points, and the expert picks have been split down the middle. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson and Pat Forde explained their differing opinions on Friday.
Forde is taking the Vols but thinks the game will be a close competition.
“I appreciate the number being less than a touchdown,” Forde wrote. “This is almost always a competitive game, but the Gators are not a good offensive team and will not be able to match points with the Volunteers.”
Johnson, on the other hand, is confident that a better Florida team will show up on Saturday, unlike the version of the team that got annihilated in Salt Lake City.
“This one is simple. If Florida can get its operation together, it has a significant chance in this game,” Johnson said. “If the sloppiness that showed up at Utah rears its ugly head, the Gators will get escorted out of the paint quickly by a Tennessee offense that can score in droves. Which Florida team will show up Saturday night? My guess is a competent one, but I’ve been wrong before.”
The Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers will kick off at 7 p.m. EDT and the game will be aired on ESPN.
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