GAINESVILLE
— Florida
and Tennessee have not proven themselves to be any better than
average, but both are ranked heading into Saturday’s showdown at
Neyland Stadium. That could be enough to revitalize a rivalry that
appears to be on the brink of fading from national consciousness.
There
is abundant optimism among both fan bases after 2-0 starts propelled
Florida to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and the Volunteers to
No. 23. It is the first time since 2007 that both teams are ranked
entering the game. The mere hint that this series has regained its
fire lured ESPN’s College GameDay
to Knoxville, Tenn., to showcase the game (6 p.m., ESPN).
The
pulse in Knoxville is so electric that the local police force already
is trying to deter people who are thinking about storming the field
if the Volunteers win.
“I’m
sure the fans are excited and they should be,” Tennessee coach
Derek Dooley said. “We’ve had a four-year stretch where we
haven’t really performed to Tennessee’s standards. For the first
time, we’re at least getting talked about, but that excitement
isn’t going to stay if we don’t go out and play well.”
Florida
(2-0, 1-0 in the SEC) faces similar consequences. One of the few
parts of last season that was worth celebrating in Gainesville was
the team’s 33-23 victory over the Volunteers, pushing the Gators’
win streak in the series to seven years. A loss this week would
squander any credibility coach Will Muschamp has built with the fans.
The
seven consecutive wins is Florida’s best run in the rivalry and it
is approaching the longest stretch of dominance by either team during
their 96-year history. The Volunteers got a 10-0 head start from 1916
through ’53.
“We
don’t really even talk about that,” Dooley said. “The last
seven games have nothing to do with what’s going to happen this
week.”
Tennessee
lost by double digits the past two years when UF was vulnerable.
During that time, Florida otherwise went 5-9 in the SEC and 13-11
overall.
Those
two seasons were tough to stomach for the Gators, but the Volunteers
have been even worse. They were 23-27 over the previous four years,
the best of which was a 7-6 season under Lane Kiffin in 2009.
Tennessee dropped to 5-7 last year, finishing 1-7 in the SEC with a
season-ending loss to lowly Kentucky.
The
Volunteers started this season with a 35-21 win against North
Carolina State and a 51-13 whipping of Georgia State. Quarterback
Tyler Bray topped 300 yards passing in each of those games and has
six touchdown passes with zero interceptions.
Is
Tennessee truly better in 2012 than it was the past few years? Dooley
thinks so, and back in July he warned the rest of the conference that
“you’re not going to have Tennessee to kick around anymore.”
The
Gators are taking him seriously. Muschamp, a longtime friend and
co-worker of Dooley’s, and his players spoke highly of their hated
rival this week.
“We’re
playing on national TV against a much-improved team, which I think we
are as well,” Muschamp said. “It’s going to be a heck of a
game.”
Florida
defensive tackle Omar Hunter, a senior, added, “For me, being here
for five years, this is the best Tennessee team I’ve seen on film.”
