Daily briefing: On Florida-Tennessee, SMU-TCU and near-upsets in Week 3
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
Tennessee has score to settle with Florida
No. 20 Florida is in a tough spot. The Gators clearly aren’t the team they have been in modern times. Kentucky beat them physically, and Florida had to go to the final minute to overcome USF, which now is 4-20 under coach Jeff Scott. Yet No. 11 Tennessee is going to treat the game at Neyland Stadium like the rivalry it used to be. That’s because the Volunteers have lost 16 of the past 17 to the Gators, and only four of those were a one-score loss. Tennessee has a score to settle, and will get the opportunity to do so in an emotional environment, with ESPN College GameDay on campus for the first time since 2016. That’s the last time Tennessee beat Florida.
Sonny Dykes now on other side of SMU-TCU rivalry
TCU coach Sonny Dykes, who went 2-1 at SMU in the Iron Skillet rivalry, is doing his best to deflect the attention and vitriol that awaits him Saturday in Dallas. “I don’t take any of this stuff personal,” Dykes said. “It’s not healthy. It’s hard to stay in this profession for very long if you take everything personal. It’s hard to keep your sanity. I choose to try to keep mine.” Dykes assumes his players are aware of the circumstances surrounding the rivalry and won’t rally them to win one for their coach. “The week after we play SMU, we play at Oklahoma,” Dykes said. “I’ve heard of them. We don’t need to circle games. I don’t want to be that kind of program.” TCU quarterback Max Duggan, two games into his career under Dykes, leads the FBS in passing efficiency (239.2). Duggan had decent stats in two games against Dykes’ SMU teams (32-of-64, 451 yards, six touchdowns). But he’s 0-2 in the Iron Skillet.
A Saturday for Damon Runyon
If Week Two went down as the Week of the Sun Belt Upset, Week Three will be remembered as the Week of Damon Runyon. Look at all the near-upsets Saturday: UCLA needing a last-play field goal to beat South Alabama; Indiana getting a two-point conversion with 47 seconds left to take Western Kentucky into overtime and beat the Hilltoppers; Wake Forest stopping a two-point conversion with 1:11 to outlast Liberty; Arkansas needing a fourth-quarter rally to upend Missouri State; Florida scoring late, then holding off USF. In each case, the favorite with more talent overcame the team that played better for most of the game. As Runyon, one of the patron saints of American sportswriting, said, “The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.”