The Rivalries: Does Florida-Tennessee Still Matter?
There was a time when this game all but decided the race for the SEC East. In the first ten games after the league began division play in 1992, the winner of this game went to the SEC Championship eight times. (The other two times, the loser went.)
But before that, there wasn’t much at stake in the Florida-Tennessee game — not even bragging rights. From 1916-1991, the teams played 21 times. Tennessee was the overwhelming leader, with a 14-7 edge; the only time Florida won consecutive games was 1976-77 and 1984-85. (There were no games between the two from 1978 to 1983.) At one point, they went fourteen years, from 1955 to 1969, between meetings — and even then it took the Gator Bowl to create a matchup. (Florida won, 14-13.)
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