Tennessee Football is a heavy favorite against Syracuse in the Week 1 matchup Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.
Tennessee Football enters game week against Syracuse as a two-touchdown favorite against the Orange, according to updated odds from BetMGM. The Vols are 14-point favorites and -600 on the money line, with the total set at 50.5.
Tennessee and Syracuse open the new season on Saturday in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon Eastern Time on ABC.
According to BetMGM as of Saturday afternoon, 99% of money bets had been placed on Tennessee and 74% of spread bets had been placed on the Vols and the over has been bet 97% of the time.
Season Opener: Tennessee vs. Syracuse, Saturday, Atlanta
The Vols are +270 to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field, +2200 to win the SEC championship and +4000 to win the national championship. Texas is the favorite to win both the SEC championship, at +275, and the national title, at +450.
Tennessee named Appalachian State and UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar as its starting quarterback on Sunday, beating out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre.
Syracuse named Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli as its starting quarterback on Monday, beating out LSU transfer Rickie Collins.
Angeli appeared in 21 games over the last three seasons at Notre Dame, throwing for 772 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. He completed 72.5% of his passes , going 58-for-80.
Angeli replaces Kyle McCord as Syracuse’s quarterback, after McCord passed for 4,770 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 13 games last season, leading the Orange to a 10-3 season in its first season under Fran Brown.
Syracuse led all of college football in passing offense last season, at 370.0 yards per game.
ESPN: ‘Syracuse might be a three-win team’
This season, though, could be a different story. According to ESPN, Syracuse could see its record completely flip this season.
“Syracuse might be a three-win team,” ESPN wrote last week. “The Orange lost their top three receivers, star running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and most of their defensive playmakers.”
ESPN noted Syracuse will also have to “survive one of the toughest schedules in the country.”
“They open with Tennessee in Atlanta,” ESPN wrote, “then hit the road against Clemson, SMU, then Miami and Notre Dame in back-to-back weeks. The Orange defense gave up five yards per rush last year (117th) and now must replace nearly everyone in the front seven.
“With major questions at quarterback, depth and offensive explosiveness, wins could be hard to come by, especially after mid-October.”
Category: General Sports
