College football betting players know all about rivalries, so they should be familiar with the “Third Saturday In September”, which is when Florida and Tennessee usually get together for a gold old-fashioned SEC showdown. The rivalry got its start on the basketball court, but it’s getting fierce on the gridiron as well.
Florida Tennessee Betting – Saturday, September 18th, 3:30 PM ET
The No.10 Gators (2-0) looked stunned in the first half against South Florida, but they pulled away for a 38-14 win in “The Swamp”, although Florida fans still won’t be encouraged by this effort. The Gators did managed to cut out a lot of mistakes, and didn’t commit a turnover, but John Brantley was 18-of-31 for 172 yards and two touchdowns, showing that this is definitely a new era in Gainesville. Jeff Demps had 11 carries for 139 yards and a score for the Gators, who also gave up 244 yards on the ground. Yes, those who bet on NFL odds are seeing a lot of last year’s Gators in the league, and there’s a lot of new faces, but Florida is going to have to improve to challenge for the SEC crown this season.
The Volunteers (1-1) got rolled in a 48-13 loss to Oregon at home, and the No.7 Ducks had their way with Tennessee, who allowed 447 yards. It was actually a 13-13 game at halftime before the Ducks stormed out with two big plays in the third quarter (a 72-yard run and a pick returned for a score), and it was a rout from there. Matt Simms was 15-of-29 for 151 yards and the aforementioned pick, while Tauren Poole added 162 yards and a score on the ground for the Volunteers, who were a miserable 2-of-15 on third down.
Online football betting odds have the Gators as a 14-point favorite against the Volunteers, who haven’t beaten Florida since 2004. The last three losses have been by an average of 24.3 points, although the Volunteers held their own in a 23-13 loss in Gainesville last year. The Tennessee program was left in shambles after Lane Kiffin bolted to USC, leaving Derek Dooley with a lot of work to do, and the Oregon game showed that it’s still a work in progress. That being said, we think the Volunteers will keep the Gators from covering the 14-point spread as the Florida offense isn’t anywhere near where they want to be, and the Tennessee defense is better than they showed against Oregon, who is a better team than Florida. School pride factors heavily into games like this, and especially as they got rolled at home last week, the Volunteers will definitely have enough in the tank to keep Florida from covering the betting spread.
Betting pick: Tennessee +14
