Gators head coach Jim McElwain takes a look at the video board in his first meeting with the Vols in 2015. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
Gators-Vols Matchup Solved Minus drama of Gators-LSU, more
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter
The No. 24 Gators host No. 23 Tennessee on Saturday in their home opener.
Sound familiar?
Yes, a hurricane disrupted Florida's schedule for the second consecutive season, but unlike a year ago when the Florida-LSU was eventually moved to Baton Rouge, the decision to play Saturday's Gators-Vols game at the Swamp was reached without all the carnival barkers.
"There has been a tremendous amount of cooperation between local authorities, the Southeastern Conference and the Tennessee athletic program throughout this process and we are grateful for these strong partnerships,'' Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said Tuesday.
To use one of the most tired clichés in the history of writing, what a difference a year makes.
As negotiations played out a year ago to decide the fate of the Florida-LSU game, misinformation, media trolling, fan unrest on social media and other factors turned the process into must-see Twitter updates.
The Gators rallied above turmoil to pull off their biggest win under third-year coach Jim McElwain, upsetting LSU in Tiger Stadium to clinch their second consecutive SEC East crown.
Florida faces adversity of a different kind on Saturday as it seeks to avoid an 0-2 start for the first time in 46 years and get a win after two weeks off following a disheartening 33-17 loss to Michigan in the opener.
Florida-Tennessee is always entertaining and this one is no different. A look at some of the latest storylines surrounding the matchup:
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Stakes are different, but Florida-Tennessee feels like a big rivalry again writes Neil Blackmon of SaturdayDownSouth.com. (Note: Has felt like a big rivalry since 1990 from my view).
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Ryan Young of SECCountry.com takes a look at what Gators need to do to increase chances of a win.
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History on Florida's side after a loss to Tennessee writes Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun.
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Hurricane recovery enough for Florida to host Tennessee writes Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com.
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The five biggest questions for the Vols is posed by RockyTopTalk.com analyst Evan Winter.
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No surprise former Gators QB Tim Tebow is rallying the troops after Irma causes major destruction across Florida writes Kristen M. Clark of The Miami Herald.
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Senior safety Nick Washington serves as mentor for freshman-heavy Gators secondary writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
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Interesting read from Los Angeles Times reporter Evan Halper reporting from Gainesville on the hunt for gasoline in Florida.
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Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist John Adams writes about the pressure of the coaches in the Florida-Tennessee game.
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