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Posted at 10:15 AM EST

3:30 PM EST. Football can serve as a great distraction for many with all of life’s uncertainties. The impacts of Hurricane Irma are still being felt all across the Sunshine State. The Gators will now cherish the opportunity to take their supporters’ minds off of recent events. The Orange and Blue were reluctant to cancel their home tune-up game against Northern Colorado, as they were ready to play the contest in a vacant Ben-Hill Griffin Stadium to retain some form of normalcy in such overwhelming circumstances. Safety concerns would curtail the meeting between the two, but now Florida has an opportunity to take on an influential role in the recovery efforts. Since Irma, this is the first game back for the Gators and they get the chance to avenge a bitter defeat against a hated foe at The Swamp. A win against the Tennessee Volunteers would uplift the region in a big way.

Last year, Florida travelled to Rocky Top to square off with this nemesis the and they would relinquish a 21-point lead to Smokey, also surrendering supremacy in a one-sided rivalry series that saw their 11-game winning streak come to an end. The Gators have had a lot of off-field troubles in the build-up to their opening contest against Michigan in the Cowboys Classic, a contest widely-broadcasted across America. As a result of 10 suspensions, the Gators would ultimately fall to the Maize and Blue by a score of 33-17. Florida held a lead against Michigan after the first half in what was the most watched game in Week 1 but truth be told, the Gators were badly outplayed and were completely dominated in the second half. That weak showing in which Florida’s offense scored just three points the entire game has the Gators being sold short here.

The Volunteers were also in the spotlight in Week 1 but their performance left a much more positive dent in the market than Florida’s performance. On Labor Day night two weeks ago in the Chic-Fil-A Classic in prime time, Smokey would make a 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter to defeat Georgia Tech in double overtime. Tennessee passed a preliminary eye test while the Gators have failed miserably. Tennessee would subsequently win a glorified practice last week against Indiana State, 42-7 to run its record to 2-0 while the Gators come in 0-1. Furthermore, Tennessee is now ranked higher (#23) in the polls than Florida (#25), which also influences both the market and the price.

In summarizing, Florida was ranked #17 coming into the season while the Vols were unranked. It is essentially one result from each side that has the market twisted around to the Vols side. Putting too much emphasis on one game or one result is a big market flaw that we can hopefully exploit here. Home field advantage will be at an optimum here for the Gators and so will the emotions being felt throughout the entire state. For the Gators and the good people in the state of Florida, this is much more than a football game. This game represents hope and we absolutely expect the short-priced favorite to respond here. 

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