Tre Flowers was asked if he knew Florida had beaten Tennessee 16 of the last 17 years.

“No, I did not,’’ Tennessee’s senior safety said. “We’ll see what happens Saturday.’’

Yes, we will.

No. 11 Tennessee (3-0) has been installed a 10-point favorite to gig the Gators (2-1). Kickoff is set for 3:37 pm on CBS.

In a matchup of the most dominant SEC teams in the 1990s, Tennessee is trying to climb back up the perch.

Florida, which won the SEC East Division in 2020 then fired Dan Mullen in 2021, is rebuilding with a new coach, a new quarterback and new questions.

Like, which Anthony Richardson will show up?

Which run defense will appear?

And will Florida’s good fortune turn the trick again against Tennessee?

If you go position by position, it’s hard to find an area where Florida is better than Tennessee.

But if you ask who has the mental edge, it’s the Gators.

How else do you explain Tennessee losing to quarterbacks like Tyler Murphy, Felipe Franks and Jeff Driskell – all of whom transferred out of Gainesville.

How else to you explain the Vols losing to Florida teams that went 7-6 and 4-8 and 7-5 and 4-7 and – last year – 2-6 in SEC play. Last year, Florida held UT to a season-low 14 points even though the Gators got steam-rolled by South Carolina 40-17 and gave up 52 points to Samford and 49 to LSU.

Steve Spurrier, who had Tennessee’s number during his 12-year stint in Gainesville, said it’s hard to believe the Gators have won all but one matchup against UT since 2004.

“Our teams have been pretty good, but not as dominant as that sounds like’’ Spurrier said during an interview on The Sports Animal’s SportsTalk who on WNML radio. “Seems like something good happens for Florida and something bad happens for Tennessee.’’

Spurrier mentioned Felipe Franks throwing a 63-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game to beat the Vols 28-27 in 2015.

He could have mentioned the 2014 game in which the Vols led 9-0 entering the fourth quarter only to see the Gators rally behind a backup (Murphy) for a 10-9 victory.

History tells us that over the past 17 years, it doesn’t matter how good Tennessee is or how average Florida is, the Gators somehow find their way to the winner’s circle.

Will this year be different?

Who knows?

Tennessee’s biggest positional advantage is at quarterback, where Hendon Hooker has thrown 37 touchdown passes to three interceptions in his UT career while Richardson has four picks – including a pick six – and no touchdown passes this season.

Spurrier couldn’t help but throw some shade on the Gators for that stat.

“We’re still looking to throw a touchdown pass down here,’’ Spurrier said. “You got any suggestions? I remember when those things were supposed to be pretty easy.’’

Not any more. At least, not at Florida. The Gators are the only SEC team without a touchdown pass. Why, Vanderbilt threw four against Northern Illinois last week.

Florida ranks last in the SEC in passing yards, pass efficiency and passing touchdowns.

If Richardson plays like he did in an upset win over then-No. 7 Utah, Florida will be tough to beat.

But if he plays like he did against Kentucky and South Florida, the Gators are in trouble.

Richardson wasn’t the only concern for Florida last week. The Bulls ran for 286 yards and outgained the Gators by 73 total yards. If not for USF’s botched field-goal attempt that could have sent the game into overtime, the Gators might be 1-2.

But the Vols might not be able to take advantage of Florida’s run defense – which is without star linebacker Ventrell Miller. UT has two 200-yard rushing games this season against weak opponents. Against Pitt, the Vols didn’t fare well on the ground (91 yards on 35 carries).

And UT lost running back Jabari Small after the second play against Akron. Small is expected to play, but will he be 100%?

Tennessee also must play a clean game. It had 11 penalties against Akron. That won’t get it done against Florida.

And in four of UT’s six losses last season (Pitt, Florida, Alabama, Purdue) the Vols had at least 10 penalties.

Look for Tennessee to get the monkey off it’s back before a sellout crowd with ESPN’s Gameday in the house. But don’t look for the Vols to cover the spread.

Prediction: Tennessee 27, Florida 24.