Florida vs Tennessee Print

pontiac rivalry

Game Day - Sept. 20th

Florida vs. Tennessee. It's September. That means Tennessee must be getting ready to take on Southeastern Conference rival Florida.

But does anyone besides fans of the teams really care?

Over the past few years, whenever one team is up, the other is down. Or at least not near the top of the heap.

Florida is back among the SEC's elite, and Tennessee isn't. The Vols won the Eastern Division last season, and they've played in three league title games since 2001, but they haven't won any of them.

The 2-0 Gators are ranked No. 4 in this week's USA TODAY Coaches' Poll, but the Volunteers are 1-1 and unranked after a 27-24 overtime loss to UCLA and a 35-3 thrashing of Alabama-Birmingham.

None of that means Florida will simply show up and throttle the Vols on Saturday.

But the Gators have the Vols in their sights as junior WR/RB Percy Harvin prepares to make a splash after being limited in the first two games with a right heel injury.

Florida has won three of its last four games in Neyland Stadium, but will need more balance on offense and better offensive line play to win on the road in its Southeastern Conference debut.