Virginia Cavaliers vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/02/2023

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 2, 2023

Venue:  Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

Where to Watch:  ABC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Virginia +28, Tennessee -28; Over/Under:  58 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Virginia +28, Tennessee -28; Over/Under:  58.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Virginia +28, Tennessee -28; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Virginia Cavaliers:  0-0 (ACC)

Tennessee Volunteers:  0-0 (SEC East)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is coming off a GREAT YEAR in NCAAF going 70% in CFB Last Season (57-24)! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Virginia Cavaliers:  N/A

Tennessee Volunteers:  N/A

Virginia finished last season with a 3-7 record overall and they had a 1-6 record in their conference games too.  They were 2-4 in their home games, 1-3 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games last season, where they will be for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 17 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 24 points per game. Their offense also averaged 344.1 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 357.6 yards per game. Brennan Armstrong led the team in passing yards with 2210, Brennan Armstrong led the team in rushing yards with 371, and Dontayvion Wicks led the team in receiving yards with 430.

 

 

 

Tennessee finished last season with an 11-2 record overall and they had a 6-2 record in their conference games too.  They were 7-0 in their home games, 3-2 in their road games, and they were also 1-0 in their neutral site games last season, where they will be for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 46.1 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 22.8 points per game. Their offense also averaged 525.5 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 405.3 yards per game. Hendon Hooker led the team in passing yards with 3135, Jaylen Wright led the team in rushing yards with 875, and Jalin Hyatt led the team in receiving yards with 1267.

The current betting odds have Tennessee listed as a 28 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Tennessee had a really good season last year as they were 11-2 overall and had a 6-2 record in their conference games. They were really making a name for themselves last year under Josh Heupel as they were really close to becoming a playoff contender but they started to fall off near the end of the season which saw them just miss the playoffs. They were really good in their home games though with a perfect 7-0 record there and even though they lost their starting QB, they still have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball for their new starter to lean on this season. Virginia was terrible last season as they were 3-7 overall and went 1-6 in their conference games as they struggled a lot against ACC opponents. Now they are going to have an even tougher matchup here against a really good SEC team, the SEC being the best conference in college football right now, and Virginia is not going to stand a chance going on the road here against a Tennessee team looking to build even more off of what was already a really good season last year. This game is at a neutral site but it will still be in the state of Tennessee and the Volunteers are going to have the advantage here. The best way to place a bet here is on Tennessee to cover the spread in this game.

Virginia Tennessee Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 2, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Tennessee 56 Virginia 17.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Virginia Cavaliers Tennessee Volunteers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Virginia Cavaliers: 2-5 ATS in non-conference games. 8-2 OVER as a neutral field underdog. 13-4 OVER in games played on a neutral field. 7-2 OVER against SEC opponents.

Tennessee Volunteers: 8-2 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 12-5 ATS as a favorite. 7-3 ATS in non-conference games. 17-9 OVER in all games. 12-5 OVER as a favorite. 

Virginia Cavaliers:  D. Twitty (WR) Doub Sept 2 - Hamstring. X. Brown (RB) Late Sept - Arm.

Tennessee Volunteers:  D. Sampson (RB) Ques Sept 2 - Tricep. D. Bishop (RB) Mid Oct - Ankle.

"It was a crazy thing. There was some bone fragments that have broken off at some point throughout the course of his growth and they just got lodged in the perfect position to cause swelling and impinge the knee. He couldn't even bend his knee prior to the surgery. Now he's out here walking around with no crutches." - Tony Elliott on the injury to Chico Bennett.

“For the guys that were nicked up early in camp, we’ve gotten most of those guys back. There’s still a couple guys that I think, as we finish up today (Monday) and tomorrow and are back in the practice mode the following day, that we’ll have back on the grass. We should be pretty close to being completely healthy by the time we kick off.” - Josh Heupel on the injuries to his team coming into this college football season opener.

WR Fields, Malachi 

WR Starling, Demick 

WR Washington, Malik 

TE Misch, Grant 

QB Muskett, Tony 

RB Pace, Kobe 

WR McCoy, Bru 

WR Keyton, Ramel 

WR White, Squirrel 

TE Warren, Jacob 

QB Milton III, Joe 

RB Small, Jabari 

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Virginia Cavaliers: Tony Elliott (2nd season)

Tennessee Volunteers: Josh Heupel (3rd season)