The SEC, as a conference, still looks and feels the same as it has for nearly a decade now…tough defenses, 5 star athletes making names and taking them, 6 or 7 teams in the top 20 of both the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively. It is the best conference in College football, and it isn’t even close. But a closer look lets you in on a little secret. It isn’t the same as before. The West division is the far better half, with 5 or 6 teams looking like they’ve improved since last year, and 1 or 2 that have a legitimate shot at a National Championship. The East, conversely, looks like a collection of teams still trying to find an identity a full third of the way into the season. Pre-season favorite South Carolina has 2 conference losses to date, Georgia has a 5th year Senior QB and a defense that have both produced more questions than answers to this point, and last year’s division champ, Missouri, currently leads the division again…yes, that Missouri…the one who joined the conference two years ago from the weak sauce Big 12…a conference that actually only has 10 teams…they’re bad at defense and counting. There seems to be something missing from the East…something that has traditionally added spice and flavor to the now seemingly bland and soupy Eastern division. But what could that be?
At one time, some time ago, the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators would get together every fall for a football game, and the entire college football world would stop and watch. In 1992, when the Southeastern Conference split into two divisions, new rivalries were born, with teams now playing each other every year rather than every 3 or 4 years. It got hot quickly for all teams involved, but especially for Tennessee and Florida. With Georgia going through a decade of poor coaching choices, and subsequent mediocrity, the Tennessee vs. Florida game, played in the 2nd week of the season, meant everything. Both teams were ascendant, and on the verge of greatness. It was two programs morphing into giants at the same time…and they played every September to see who was the baddest on the block. It was titans with swagger. The fans didn’t like each other…the players didn’t like each other…and the coaches didn’t like each other. The game had a meaning that transcended conference, with the winner almost assured of a spot in the SEC Championship game, and with it, a possible shot at the National title. It meant something, and it was good football. But that, too, has changed. It’s a little different now. The arch of history has treated both teams differently over the last decade. Both find themselves going into this Saturday’s 2014 version of this rivalry in desperate need of a win…and for completely different reasons. It is a game that means everything…just not to everyone…anymore.
The Vols go into this game against Florida looking to exorcise demons…decade old demons. Meaning, the last time the football team from the University of Tennessee won a game against the Florida Gators it was September 18, 2004. George W. Bush and John Kerry were in the last legs of a Presidential campaign…the Iraq war was raging…the Beslan School massacre shocked the world from Chechnya…the number 1 song on the Billboard Top 100 was “Goodies” by Ciara…the number 1 song on the country charts was “Days Go By” by Keith Urban…the top grossing movie that weekend was “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”. It was long time ago. It was a very long time ago in football years, and Vol Nation is ready for this to change. There’s a sense of buoyant optimism brewing around this team based on its recent performances, though. While losses in the last two games, most of the chatter from Vols fans is structured with words like improvement, strides, and confidence. A stronger than expected showing against a good Oklahoma team, followed by a close loss to a ranked Georgia team, has fans believing that this ten year old demon of defeat to the hated Florida Gators will be cast into the abyss come Saturday.
Florida comes into this game with its own issues. Coach Will Muschamp is on that proverbial “hot seat”…with Gators fans itching to fire the guy and move on to the next one. His tenure at Florida has not matched the hopes there…which usually rest somewhere between 9 and 10 wins annually. After a disastrous 4-8 season last year…and an embarrassing score in the Alabama game two weeks ago…there isn’t anything much closer to a “must win” game than this one. If Florida loses, Gator Nation will be frothy and heated.
Schematically, one looks at this game and sees that either team could win this matchup. Vols QB Justin Worley still isn’t a world beater, but seems to have figured out a way to pick on bad, young, or confused defenses, and take advantage of mistakes. He couldn’t do that last year. The Vols defense is incredibly young, and doesn’t have much depth, but the coaches have them coached up, and they seem to be more disciplined and physical than last year. Florida, mainly, isn’t nearly as banged up in this game as they were last year. They have speed on the edges, and if QB Jeff Driskel can get the ball to playmakers in space, they have 5 star talent that do damage. For Tennessee… keeping Worley upright and having a modicum of a running game will be the key. For Florida…eliminating turnovers and taking advantage of scoring opportunities will be the key. Either…or both…could happen.
No…this game isn’t what it once was. Chances are neither of these teams will be playing in Atlanta come December. But it does mean everything to these teams. If Florida loses, this team will always be remembered by Florida fans as the team that lost the streak to Tennessee…and the Will Muschamp era is almost guaranteed to be over, and as Vol Nation knows, finding a new coach…who can win in the SEC… isn’t easy. If Tennessee loses, they will have lost to Florida…again…for the 10th year in a row…at home…in front of 103,000 expectant fans…which is a seismic and psychic sports marker that goes unwashed from history. A sense of deflation will set in…with questions starting to bubble like…”will he ever be able to do it?” and “how long is this going to last?”. In short, this game means everything…to these teams. Loser doesn’t go home…they can’t go home. You want to see a college football game where the kids leave everything on the field…because everything is on the line? Forget the SEC West...the Tennessee vs. Florida game is where it’s at. Viewers won’t be the loser in this one.
W. Michael Lawson is an alumnus of Lee University and University of Richmond. Mr. Lawson currently hosts a weekly radio show “The Strong Sauce Hour” and Co-hosts a daily sports show “The Sports Drive” on 101.3 FM/1570 AM. You can follow him on twitter @thestrongsauce.