The Music City welcomes big-time college football on Saturday when the 12th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers face the Virginia Cavaliers to kick off their seasons. Tennessee went 11-2 and cruised to a 31-14 victory against Clemson in the Orange Bowl last season. The Vols finished 2022 ranked sixth in the Associated Press poll. They lost some key pieces from their potent offense but still have high expectations for the 2023 college football season. The Cavaliers struggled in coach Tony Elliott’s first season, but the former Clemson offensive coordinator has a new quarterback to execute his vision. The Cavs went 3-7 in 2022, the program’s first losing campaign since 2016.
Kickoff is set for noon ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The latest SportsLine consensus Virginia vs. Tennessee odds list the Vols as 28-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is set at 56. Before you make any Tennessee vs. Virginia picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Virginia vs. Tennessee and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for Tennessee vs. UVA:
- Virginia vs. Tennessee spread: Tennessee -28
- Virginia vs. Tennessee over/under: 56 points
- Virginia vs. Tennessee money line: Cavaliers +1600, Volunteers -5303
- Virginia: The Cavs are 11-7 ATS against ranked opponents since 2016.
- Tennessee: The Vols were 5-0 ATS in non-conference games in 2022.
- Virginia vs. Tennessee picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Tennessee can cover
UT went 10-3 against the spread in 2022 and 8-2 ATS as a favorite. Star quarterback Hendon Hooker and receiver Jalin Hyatt are in the NFL now, but coach Josh Heupel still has plenty of talent to work with. The coach has produced top-10 FBS offenses each of the past five years, including his time at UCF. The Vols led FBS in total yards (525.5 per game) and scoring (46.1 points) in 2022. Veteran Joe Milton will take over for Hooker, the 2022 SEC Player of the Year. The strong-armed QB threw 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions in limited duty last season.
The Vols rushed for 199 yards per game behind Jaylen Wright (875 yards, 10 TDs) and Jabari Small (734, 13). Receivers Bru McCoy (667 yards) and sophomore Squirrel White (481) should be Milton’s go-to guys. The Vols struggled against the pass but allowed 23 points per game in 2022, two fewer than Virginia. Linebacker Aaron Beasley (76 tackles, three sacks in 2022) was a star in a shutout of Vanderbilt and the strong bowl victory against Clemson to close the season. The Cavs scored 15 points and averaged 329 yards per contest, among the worst in FBS. See which team to pick here.
Why Virginia can cover
Virginia has covered the spread in its past four games as a double-digit underdog, and Elliott has had time to get his players ready. The coach has big-game experience and hopes he has a big-time quarterback. Tony Muskett played three seasons at FCS Monmouth. The Virginia native completed more than 64% of his passes and threw for 5,687 yards, with 51 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, with the Hawks. The receivers are inexperienced, but they will be facing a Volunteers unit that ranked 127th in passing defense in 2022, allowing 287 yards per game.
The Cavaliers will take the field with a ton of emotion after the shooting deaths of three teammates last November. That tragedy led to the cancellation of their final two games, and they will be playing in honor of their teammates. Virginia’s defense was the lone bright spot last season, as the Cavs yielded 361 yards per game (41st in FBS) and 4.8 yards per play (23rd). The Cavaliers lost to Miami by two points and North Carolina by three in the final three weeks of the season. See which team to pick here.
How to make Virginia vs. Tennessee picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, with simulations showing both quarterbacks putting up strong numbers. The model also says one side of the spread is hitting in more than 50% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Virginia vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread hits in more than 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has notched a profit of almost $2,500 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.