Joel Klatt picks Florida to lose to Tennessee, cover spread
Tennessee and Florida always get after it when they meet up but, in this century, it’s mostly been a one-sided affair. However, with a win last fall in Knoxville, the Volunteers are looking to rewrite that narrative with a second straight win over the Gators this weekend.
To Joel Klatt, though, Tennessee isn’t just going to bludgeon Florida in The Swamp come Saturday night. As the FOX Sports analyst said on his show on Thursday, it’s likely the Vols’ game to win but noted the challenge that it will be as far as a road environment, specifically for their quarterback.
“Tennessee probably wins this game but they’re favored by -6.5,” said Klatt. “Again, tough location, this will be a good road test for Joe Milton.”
Gainesville has not been kind to the Volunteers over the last two decades. Their last win in Ben Hill Griffin came back in 2003 as the Gators have come out victorious in the previous nine on their home field.
With Tennessee being the No. 11 team in the nation, most will be leaning their way to end that streak tomorrow night. Still, in Klatt’s opinion, he has Billy Napier’s team giving Josh Heupel’s a closer call than anyone’s expecting.
“I really like Florida to cover in this one,” Klatt said. “I don’t think they’ll win. But I think this is going to be a tight matchup that is tighter than the experts think.”
At around a touchdown favorite, many are going to back the Volunteers in Gainesville in a way that they haven’t in a long time, especially considering they also haven’t put two wins together against the Gators since 2004. Even so, Klatt still has Florida making a game of this while the Volunteers break some of their bad streaks in The Swamp.
“I like Florida to cover the +6.5 but Tennessee to win outright,” Klatt stated.
Tennessee vs. Florida point spread: Picking Volunteers vs. Gators
Florida (1-1) and No. 11 Tennessee (2-0) will play in one of the biggest games of this weekend. The two rivals will tangle again in The Swamp on Saturday night in Gainesville, Florida.
The Vols are currently 6.5-point favorites in the game. On Wednesday evening, On3’s Andy Staples had Parker Fleming on his podcast to share their thoughts on the contest.
Since they’re playing the game in Ben Hill Griffin, Fleming still thinks the Gators have a decent chance.
“The voodoo of The Swamp is not something you can mitigate, you can forget about, you can just write off. We know that a rivalry game, especially with Billy Napier needing it? There’s going to be a lot of competition here,” the analytics expert said.
Florida and Tennessee are set to kick off on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. EST. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.