The Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies will play at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday in front of 150,000 people.
Never in the history of college football have so many fans be in one building to watch a game. On Saturday night, 150,000 people will pack the Bristol Motor Speedway to see the #17 Tennessee Volunteers take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The attendance is certain to shatter the previous record of 115,109 set back in 2013 when Notre Dame played Michigan at Michigan Stadium.
For Virginia Tech, they will have a tall order on Saturday night. Tennessee was ranked ninth in the country heading into the 2016 season but laid an egg in Week 1. The Volunteers barely beat Appalachian State last week, as they needed overtime to knock off the FCS school. The win knocked them down eight spots in the rankings, as they currently are No. 17.
The Hokies also played a FCS school on Saturday, breezing past Liberty 36-13. Quarterback Jerod Evans had a solid game, tossing four touchdown passes. However, he will be facing a whole other animal in Tennessee in Bristol, and will face challenges he did not see in Week 1.
Tennessee is led by star running back Jalen Hurd, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown against Appalachian State. He is regarded as one of the best running backs in the country, and should find daylight against the Hokies. If he goes off, this game could get ugly fast.
Betting Odds
The Volunteers come into the game as an 11.5-point favorite against the Hokies according to Oddsshark.com. The over/under is 54 points, which seems a bit high for this match-up. Tennessee is going to put up points, but I do not think the Hokies will be able to follow suit. The money should be put on Tennessee covering the points, with the game going under.
Prediction
Big win on the horizon for the Volunteers, who will vault back into the top-10 discussion. While Hurd had a nice game on Saturday, he is going to explode in this one. The Hokies should be able to keep it close early on, but Tennessee has way too much talent. The fans are going to be rocking, and it will make for some exciting football.
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Justin Fuente is taking over for legendary Hokies coach Frank Beamer, and will be looking for his signature win. However, Tennessee will be too much to handle, and Virginia Tech will fall to 1-1.
Pick: Tennessee 31 Virginia Tech 14