Who to pick? I’ve been going back and forth on this one all week. On Monday, after listening to Jim McElwain and two of his players (Quincy Wilson and Brandon Powell), I was firm in my belief that the Gators would beat the Vols on Saturday.
A day later, I started feeling a little shaky about the pick and almost switched to UT before calming down and going back with the Gators that night.
On Wednesday, with the breaking news that Treon Harris and Jalen Tabor were suspended from the game, I dumped the Gators. Hard. I changed my pick immediately, predicting the Vols would soundly beat the Gators, by 18 points.
Then I woke up Thursday morning and realized that if Will Grier stays healthy the Gators might be just fine Saturday because they’re deep enough in the secondary to get by without Tabor.
So, here I am at the end of the week feeling Florida again. Sorta. Kinda. Maybe.
The biggest reason not to go with the Gators is the potential (well, make that likely) mismatch between UT’s strong defensive front and Florida’s struggling and inexperienced offensive line. It could be a rout up front, which means the Gators will have a hard time sustaining drives and the defense will be on the field, under the hot sun, for way too long.
OK, so after writing that, I’m leaning to Tennessee again. Sorta. Kinda. Maybe.
As you can see, it’s not hard to get a feel for this game, it’s just hard to stick with it.
So, when in doubt (and there’s plenty of that), go with the home team and stop thinking about it. That’s what I’m doing.
Prediction: Florida 18, Tennessee 17
