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Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee Prediction and Odds for College Football Week 2

By Iain MacMillan

Tennessee is set as a slight underdog when they host Pittsburgh in Week 2 of the college football season.
Tennessee is set as a slight underdog when they host Pittsburgh in Week 2 of the college football season. / Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel via Imagn
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There may not be another college football fanbase that wants their team to return to relevancy more than that of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Long gone are the days where they were among the top dogs in the SEC. They now hover around .500 football year in and year out. Will that finally change this year? We’ll have to wait and find out.

The Volunteers got off to a solid start in Week 1. To be fair, Bowling Green isn’t exactly a tough opponent and Tennessee missed covering the 37-point spread, but it’s tough to complain about a 38-6 victory.

They now find themselves as underdogs in Week 2 as they get set to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers from the ACC.

Pittsburgh smashed Massachusetts in Week 1, beating the Minutemen 51-7 to cover the 37.5-point spread.

This is the first time the two schools will meet in a football game since 1983. Pittsburgh is 2-0 against Tennessee in school history.

Here is a look at the odds for the game, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee Spread, Odds, and Total

Spread:

Pittsburgh -3.5 (-110)

Tennessee +3.5 (-110)

Odds:

Pittsburgh -180

Tennessee +150

Total:

57 (OVER -110/UNDER -110)

Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee Betting Trends

  • Pittsburgh is 2-0 in school history against Tennessee
  • The OVER is 8-1 in Pittsburgh’s last nine games
  • Tennessee is 2-7 ATS in its last nine games
  • The UNDER is 7-1 in Tennessee’s last eight games

Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee Prediction and Pick

With no recent prior games between these two teams to look at as a reference, and with both schools having cupcake opponents in Week 1, it's a tough matchup to handicap.

What we do know is that Tennessee loves to run the football. It ranked sixth in college football last season in run play percentage, with 70.33% of their plays staying on the ground. Those numbers stayed true in Week 1 against Bowling Green, as the Volunteers ran the ball 64 times as a team and passed the ball just 24 times.

This is great news for PIttsburgh fans, as the Panthers boasted one of the best rushing defenses in college football last season, holding teams to 2.8 yards per carry which ranked fourth in the country.

They also shutdown Massachusetts in this category last week, keeping them to only 1.6 yards per rush.

Given Pittsburgh’s ability to stop the run, I have to take it to cover the 3.5-point spread this week.

Want to tail my pick? Want to fade it? Download the WynnBET app now.

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