Florida football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2023

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Sep 24, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Bru McCoy (15) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown against the Florida Gators during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

The first SEC game of the season for Florida presents an opportunity to pick up a huge win over a contender that is trending in the right direction under Josh Heupel. The Tennessee Volunteers nearly made the playoff last year and could have even had a Heisman-winning quarterback if Hendon Hooker never got hurt.

But Hooker is gone and I’m not full sold on Joe Milton, especially after watching him fizzle out at Michigan before transferring to Tennessee.

I think Florida picks up a big rivalry win here to prove to the rest of the SEC that it might just be for real.

Prediction: Win (2-1, 1-0 SEC)

An emotional win can sometimes be followed up by a hangover, but Florida is lucky enough to have a break in the schedule with Charlotte coming to town. This shouldn’t be much of a contest as I see the Gators smothering the 49ers for an easy win to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Prediction: Win (3-1)

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