Virginia vs. Tennessee Predictions, Spread, Picks & Odds: Sat, 9/2

The Tennessee Volunteers football team begins its quest to re-rack an 11-win season or better when they kick off their 2023-24 campaign home at Neyland Stadium against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday at noon ET. Despite losing stars like Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Darnell Wright and many defensive pieces from a season ago, expectations remain high on Rocky Top under the innovative mind of head coach Josh Heupel. The same cannot be said about their opponent, and we will get down to the margins of this game with our expert Virginia vs. Tennessee predictions.

Last time out, we delivered a pick on Tennessee’s win total for the season. Today, we deliver a pick on their Week 1 spread with betting odds and an intriguing sign-up bonus courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Click any of our links to get set up at FanDuel now or keep reading to gain our best bet and a complete analysis in support.

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS PREDICTION: Tennessee -27.5 (-110 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Virginia vs. Tennessee Predictions for College Football Week 1 on Saturday, 9/2

Anytime a Week 1 opponent comes from a Power Five conference, such as Virginia out of the ACC, there is a double-edged initial rush of concern and excitement. Fortunately for the passionate fans of Tennessee football, there needn’t be much concern for this iteration of the Cavaliers. Virginia’s win total line at FanDuel is set at just 3.5 games with -154 odds juiced to the under. Even more gratifying, Virginia has the longest odds of any team in the ACC to win the conference this season.

Judging by oddsmakers’ long-term takes on Virginia football this season, the large spread makes sense. Now, the question becomes whether or not Tennessee can cover this large spread and make a statement in front of a crowd that should be out in full force. Without further ado, let’s dive into the best bet from our Virginia vs. Tennessee predictions.

Virginia vs. Tennessee Spread, Picks & Best Bets

This Virginia program will play and fight to the end on Saturday with plenty of emotion and motivation. This is the first game the team will play since their previous season was cut a few games short following a tragic incident involving a couple of their players. While any showing here from this program has our respect, the talent gap and polar opposite expectations for each team cannot be ignored here.

Tennessee has former Michigan transfer in redshirt senior Joe Milton stepping into the starting role at quarterback. Milton is a supreme talent with one of the strongest arms in all of college football. Milton has never showcased enough accuracy to beat out other quarterbacks throughout his college career, but with Hooker gone, this is now his show, his team and his opportunity to shine and improve through plenty of game reps.

Milton shares some similarities to his predecessor in Hooker, and profiles much the same, so he should fit nicely in Heupel’s veer-and-shoot offense; establishing deep shots and a passing attack before the power-run game. Whether he can replicate Hooker’s astute numbers remains to be seen, but we expect him to turn heads and light up a Virginia defense that has some glaring holes.

Milton should execute downfield through the air with his big arm employing the help of breakout candidates at wideout: Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton, while establishing the ground game with returning lead back Jaylen Wright. Behind a trusted offensive line with multiple returners and Miami transfer John Campbell, Tennessee should dominate in the trenches and give Milton and Wright ample opportunity to operate.

Tennessee’s defense will be a bit of a question mark with so many new faces until we get a larger sample size, so Virginia’s inspired play could lead to some points. We believe the Tennessee offense will show out and be good enough to make up for any potential flaws on defense, dominating this game and covering 27.5 points (-110 at FanDuel Sportsbook).

How to Bet on Tennessee -27.5 at FanDuel & Get up to $300 in Bonuses With Just $5

We’ve already touched on it, but for more details, FanDuel Sportsbook is running a new-user promo that sees $200 in guaranteed bonus bets, plus a code via email for $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket credited to first-time member accounts. If you are 21+, in an eligible state and have never signed up for FanDuel, you’re in luck. Use this link to sign up, deposit $10 or more and place your first bet of just $5 on our Virginia vs. Tennessee predictions. No Tennessee FanDuel promo code is needed.

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Virginia vs. Tennessee Odds Available via FanDuel Sportsbook for CFB Week 1 on Saturday, September 2nd, 2023

By now you know where our Virginia vs. Tennessee predictions lie, but if you are curious about all the main-market betting odds for Saturday’s game at FanDuel Sportsbook, check out the odds below:

• Money Line:
• Virginia Cavaliers (+1600) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (-4500)

• Spread:
• Virginia +27.5 (-110) vs. Tennessee -27.5 (-110)

• Point Total:
• Over 56.5 (-105) / Under 56.5 (-115)

Take a side on any of these markets or explore prop bets and more unique offerings by selecting this matchup after clicking here to join FanDuel now.

If you back our Virginia vs. Tennessee predictions, understand the -110 odds on either side of the spread means a $110 bet is required to profit $100, making an $11 bet enough to profit $10 if that is your goal. For Tennessee to cash a cover, they will need to win this game by 28 points or more.

Tennessee Volunteers Football 2023 Schedule

Ahead of Week 1, you can scout all of Tennessee's upcoming games with this schedule provided here:

• Virginia vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Sep 2 at 12 PM ET
• Austin Peay vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Sep 9 at 5 PM ET
• Tennessee vs. Florida - Saturday, Sep 16 at 7 PM ET
• UTSA vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Sep 23 at TBD
• South Carolina vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Sep 30 at TBD
• Texas A&M vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Oct 14 at TBD
• Tennessee vs. Alabama - Saturday, Oct 21 at TBD
• Tennessee vs. Kentucky - Saturday, Oct 28 at TBD
• UConn vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Nov 4 at TBD
• Tennessee vs. Missouri - Saturday, Nov 11 at TBD
• Georgia vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Nov 18 at TBD
• Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee - Saturday, Nov 25 at TBD

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