Florida football: The five hardest games on the Gators’ 2023 schedule

No.4: Florida football vs Tennessee

After a game in Neyland last year where the Gators almost made a miraculous comeback, the Gators welcome the Vols back to The Swamp where they have absolutely dominated this matchup.

This game is in week three, and the conference opener for both schools, so intensity will be high. It’s also Tennessee’s first road game of the year, so that could be a storyline to watch.

You don’t want your first road game of the year to be in The Swamp. Ever.

Don’t get me wrong when I say what I’m about to say, I think Tennessee will still be very good this year. But they’re due for a good bit of regression after last season.

Losing Hooker, Tillman, and Hyatt will sting that offense, regardless of who’s stepping up for them.

The Vols figure to be a pass-heavy offense again, with Joe Milton at QB and guys like Bur McCoy and Squirrel White out wide, which will be an early test for the Gators’ secondary.

As another useless sense of optimism, ESPN gives UF a 51.7% chance to win this one.

This game and the FSU matchup are very close in difficulty, but the reason I have Tennessee as the harder game is for no reason other than it being the conference opener, and a team that wants to try and get out of UF’s shadow.