Florida vs. Tennessee odds: Opening point spread released on Gators, Vols

After a couple of nonconference games to begin the year, Florida and Tennessee will meet in Week 3 to kick off league play. Last year’s contest between the two SEC East foes was decided by less than a touchdown as the Volunteers won 38-33 in Knoxville, and the Gators will hope to get their revenge in The Swamp.

Oddsmakers in Vegas believe they’ll face an uphill battle to do so, as Tennessee opens as an 8.5-point favorite according to FanDuel. Still, it’s never easy to get a win in Gainesville and the last time the Volunteers did so came during the 2003 season. Florida holds a 31-21 all-time advantage in the series.

The Gators offense came out flat in Week 1 as they lost 24-11 to Utah in Salt Lake City. However, they bounced back on Saturday to defeat McNeese State by a score of 49-7 at home.

Florida earned its Week 2 win with a dominant performance on the ground to finish with 327 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Montrell Johnson Jr. led the way with 119 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Trevor Etienne and Treyaun Webb were also key pieces in the win as the trio combined for 274 yards and five scores.

Gators quarterback Graham Mertz delivered the sixth rushing touchdown. He also had an efficient day passing the ball to finish 14-of-17 for 193 yards and one touchdown.

That performance was encouraging after the opening-week loss, but Florida will face a much tougher opponent when Tennessee comes to town. The Volunteers are coming off of a their first 11-win season in more than two decades and is so far off to a 2-0 start in 2023.

Tennessee opened the year with a 49-13 win against Virginia in Nashville and turned around to beat Austin Peay by a score of 30-13 on Saturday. Joe Milton took over as the starting quarterback this season after spending the past two as backup. He has had an impressive start to the year to throw for 430 yards and four touchdowns while adding three rushing scores through the first two games.

The Vols also bring back the talented running back tandem of Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. The duo led the backfield last season as Tennessee finished No. 1 in scoring offense and should again keep the team among the top units in the country.

Florida has won 16 of the past 18 games against Tennessee, but it appears the Vols have a chance to make it back-to-back wins in this matchup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on Saturday in Gainesville.