The No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers (1-0) visit the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0-1) for a Saturday scrum in Atlanta, Georgia. The contest at Bobby Dodd Stadium will kick off at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze college football odds around the Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.
Tennessee was a -35.5 favorite in a 56-9 (Under 67.5) win over the Furman Paladins last Saturday. Freshman QB Faizon Brandon threw for 226 yards and 3 TDs and ran for 2 more in a contest that saw the Volunteers outgain Furman by 417 yards (638-221).
Georgia Tech failed to cover as a -7 favorite in a 14-13 (Under 55.5) loss to the Colorado Buffaloes on Sept. 3. The Yellow Jackets were outgained the Buffaloes 307
yards to 288. GTU has now failed to cover in 4 straight games dating back to last season.
Tennessee leads the all-time series 25-17-2 and has won the last 2 meetings, including a 42-41 double-overtime thriller in Atlanta in 2017 (most recent meeting). The Vols are 12-11-1 all-time at Georgia Tech.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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Tennessee at Georgia Tech odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2:08 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Tennessee -450 (bet $450 to win $100) | Georgia Tech +340 (bet $100 to win $340)
- Against the spread (ATS): Tennessee -11.5 (-112) | Georgia Tech +11.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -106 | U: -114)
Tennessee at Georgia Tech picks and predictions
Prediction
Tennessee 34. Georgia Tech 24
Moneyline
No interest; PASS.
Against the spread
The Yellow Jackets are 7-4-1 ATS across their last 12 home games. Included in that stretch are 4 ATS wins in as many tries as a home underdog.
Despite scoring 56 in Week 1, the Volunteers did scuffle on some 3-and-out drives and displayed some misfires in key facets of their offense.
Look for UT to try to lean on a run game and on that ground effort setting up Brandon through the air. But GTU does bring back a lot of production on the defensive side of the ball. The Jackets figure as solid in keeping plays in front of them.
The Volunteer defense was awful last fall from a success-rate standpoint. And then UT opened against an FCS program, and things seemed better. The pendulum swings in this sport; getting down-to-down stops is likely still an issue.
With UT having a young quarterback and playing on the road for the first time, look for talent advantages. But not a monster scoreboard advantage.
TAKE GEORGIA TECH +11.5 (-108).
Over/Under
Tennessee has shown that it can finish scoring opportunities. The Vols scored on 100% of their red-zone possessions in Week 1; last year they were above average with a 69.8% rate of turning trips inside the 20 into 6 points.
Look for plenty of havoc potential in this matchup. And with havoc potential comes the increased chance for turnover-created, short-field drives. Now mix in a UT offense that plays at a fast pace and some helping regression for a GTU offense that misfired -- often alongside some ill-timed penalties -- against Colorado.
The OVER 55.5 (-106) is the value side here.
Betting odds calculator
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This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets odds, picks and predictions
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