ESPN’s College GameDay took its Week 13 show to Eugene and zeroed in on Oregon vs USC. In the process, the Tennessee-Florida rivalry was ignored entirely. The panel dissected every detail of the Ducks and Trojans’ matchup, yet a game that once defined early-season SEC football was left without a preview, a prediction, or even a mention. That bias has now put the show and its analysts squarely in the crosshairs of fans on both sides of the rivalry.

“”College GameDay” did not make predictions for the Tennessee-Florida rivalry game.” Dan Harralson of USA Today posted on X that the entire GameDay desk, including Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, and Pat McAfee, completely skipped the Tennessee vs. Florida game during their picks. The outrage began snowballing right from this moment, as many viewers felt this has become a pattern for ESPN this season.

The criticism isn’t only about Week 13. Fans are connecting dots: the Clemson vs. FSU game being bumped to ABC earlier this season, the newfound emphasis on “relevance” instead of tradition, and now an iconic SEC rivalry ignored because neither team is in playoff contention. Even insiders are calling it a dangerous precedent. Because in college football, rivalries matter, even when records don’t.

For an entire generation, the Florida-Tennessee rivalry was once the crown jewel of the SEC during the Steve Spurrier and Phil Fulmer era. Traditionally played on the third Saturday of September, the game routinely doubled as a national title checkpoint. Over the years, long stretches of mediocrity from both programs have dulled its shine, and the matchup no longer commands the spotlight it once did. Saturday marked their final meeting until 2027 in Knoxville, and Tennessee will not return to Gainesville again until 2029.

The SEC’s decision to eliminate them as annual opponents starting in 2026 signals the rivalry’s reduced importance. Meanwhile, the Gators have a stronghold in Gainesville specifically, winning 10 straight games at The Swamp dating back to Tennessee’s last road victory in 2003. But that didn’t help the final score. Tennessee entered the swamp as a 3.5-point favorite according to Moneyline. They did much more than that. A 31 – 11 beatdown set aside all past trends and has put the Volunteers as the true winner in this rivalry for 2025.

This was the sentiment being echoed by the analysts as well. “Florida’s will to defend the run appears to be fading as the Gators plunge deeper into what’s become a hopeless season. At 3-7, Florida has officially been disqualified from contention for a bowl game and now must deal with a Tennessee offense that still has explosive potential. This is the time for Tennessee to end its 10-game losing streak in The Swamp. Pick: Tennessee,” said David Cobb of CBS. Tennessee’s offense is first in the SEC and second among FBS programs. The Gators are 15th in the conference and 106th in the FBS.

However, all this disrespect and talk of irrelevance has the fans in a frenzy as they flock to the internet to show their dissent.

Fans protest the exclusion of the Florida-Tennessee rivalry from College Gameday

Both Tennessee and Florida fanbases expressed their frustration on social media over ESPN’s decision to overlook the historic rivalry. One user commented, “ESPN Gameday su–s.” While others made fun of the whole situation as they pitched in with what other games they might have talked about. They were spending their time predicting the score for the tight rivalry of the Charlotte/Georgia game, a game that had no significance.

One user took a comical way of presenting his point. “Give them a break – they had to leave time to pick the critically important Lehigh/Lafayette matchup!” he said. Suggesting how the panel would be busy predicting other lesser important games, and needs to be excused for it. One came up with another insignificant game, “But thank God we know their thoughts on Lehigh vs. Lafayette.”

While others took a radical stance, as one comment read, “It’s time to realize that Tenn should always be considered mid-tier until proven otherwise. Tenn 7-3 vs Florida 3-7 is not a game the country is excited for.” They highlighted the irrelevance of the matchup and Tennessee’s standing in a sarcastic manner.