A once-great rivalry between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers has devolved into a one-sided affair, and Saturday’s game doesn’t appear likely to change that trend.
While Florida holds most of the advantages on paper, the program still has plenty on the line this week. The Gators still need to secure an appearance in the SEC Championship Game and avoid injuries along the way. The matchup with Tennessee shouldn’t pose too much of an obstacle as the Volunteers have shown little to suggest they can slow down Heisman hopeful Kyle Trask and the Florida offense.
Tennessee made the decision to extend James Pruitt in September despite the middling track record as a head coach. That decision looks more confusing with the Volunteers losing five straight games, each by double digits. And outside of an October matchup with Alabama, Saturday’s contest features the strongest opponent Tennessee has played so far in 2020.
It doesn’t help Tennessee’s cause that Pruitt expects more than a dozen players to miss this week due to positive tests for COVID-19 and contact tracing. Between those losses and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano’s apparent regression, the Vols have little hope of pulling the upset.
Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming
You can watch No. 6 Florida versus Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, or you can stream it via the CBS Sports app with a cable or streaming service login.
Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends
Point spread: Florida (-17.5) vs. Tennessee
Point Total: 61.5
Money line: Florida (-770) vs. Tennessee (+525)
- Since 2015, Florida owns a 12-11-0 road record against the spread (9-6-0 as the road favorite).
- Also during that stretch, the Gators have an over record of 12-11-0 on the road (8-7-0 as the road favorite).
- Meanwhile, Tennessee has a 14-25-0 home record against the spread since 2015 (4-9-0 as the home underdog).
- Also during that time, the Volunteers own an over record of 16-23-0 at home (7-6-0 as the home underdog).
Betting splits
Florida: (88% of handle, 86% percent of bets)
Tennessee: (12% of handle, 14% percent of bets)
The Best Bet
The wheels have fully come off Tennessee’s season and a matchup with Florida should only serve to exacerbate the Volunteers’ myriad problems.
Pick: Florida -17.5
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