How the Experts Are Picking Tennessee-Florida

No. 11 Tennessee is set to host No. 20 Florida at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday inside Neyland Stadium.

After losing 16 of the last 17 matchups to Florida, Tennessee will now look to start a new chapter in their rivalry with the Gators this weekend. And, certainly, there is a buzz in the air.

There’s been back-and-forth all week talking about the Tennessee-Florida matchup. People have been discussing Tennessee’s home-field advantage, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman, their predictions for the game, and much more.

While we will have to wait until the end of ESPN’s College GameDay for the picks from ESPN’s top hosts, there have been plenty of other predictions to round up throughout the week regarding the game.

More from RTI: Three Keys: Tennessee Hosts Florida In Marquee Matchup

Here’s a brief look at how the game between Tennessee and Florida is viewed from a national perspective.

Sports Illustrated College Football HQ

• Tennessee has an 87.4 percent chance to win.

Bleacher Report – Kerry Miller

• Prediction: Tennessee 38, Florida 17

• “Somehow, with help from a pick six, some short fields and a late missed field goal, the Gators still managed to eke out a home win over South Florida. But if Richardson plays anything like that against Tennessee, the Vols may well win by four touchdowns and rapidly become the trendy pick to crash the CFP party.”

• “Considering opposing quarterbacks have rushed a combined 18 times for negative-22 yards against this Volunteers defense, I like their chances of keeping Richardson bottled up.”

The Sporting News – Bill Bender

• Prediction: Tennessee 35, Florida 28
• “Who knows what to make of Florida? The up-and-down Gators revolve around Anthony Richardson, and they cannot turn the ball over against Tennessee – which is 3-0 ATS this season. This still is a hurdle game. Florida has won the last five meetings, and that double-digit line moved down.”

CBS Sports – David Cobb

• Prediction: Florida +10.5 (No score prediction)
• “History aside, Tennessee’s status as a double-digit favorite seems to overvalue its win against a hobbled Pittsburgh team and undervalue Florida’s win over Utah. The Gators have looked bad the last two weeks, but there is enough talent on the roster — as shown in that win over the Utes — for them to keep things close against a Vols program that is earlier in its rebuild than a No. 11 ranking might suggest.”

Yahoo Sports – Nick Goss

• Prediction: Tennessee -11 (No score prediction)
• “This spread is a little high, but the Gators have shown nothing over the last two weeks to suggest they will make this matchup super competitive.”

ESPN

• ESPN is giving Tennessee an 87.5 percent chance to win the game.

Bonus!

Rocky Top Insider

• Ric Butler: Tennessee 34, Florida 28
• Ryan Schumpert: Tennessee 35, Florida 27