Tennessee vs. Pitt picks and best bets for Week 2

College football is back in a big way and as we head into Week 2 we have a fun matchup on tap between two Power 5 teams in the Tennessee Volunteers and Pittsburgh Panthers. The game kicks off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Both squads picked up wins in Week 1, with the Vols looking dominant in a win over Ball State and Pitt survived a slugfest with West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

Here’s all the data you’ll want for this matchup, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Tennessee: 8 overall, 3 offense, 46 defense
Pitt: 31 overall, 9 offense, 69 defense

Injury update

Tennessee

LB Juwan Mitchell- Doubtful (undisclosed)

Pitt

LB Deslin Alexandre - Questionable (arm)
RB Rodney Hammond- Available (leg)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Tennessee: 1-0 ATS
Pitt: 0-1 ATS

Total

Tennessee: Over 1-0
Pitt: Over 1-0

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Tennessee: 19 overall, 14 offense, 66 defense
Pitt: 45 overall, 87 offense, 35 defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Tennessee -5.5
Total: 64.5
Moneyline: Tennessee -210, Pitt +180

Opening line: Tennesee -7
Opening total: 65.5

Weather

Cloudy. High 79F. Winds at 5 mph, 5% chance of rain

The Pick

Tennessee -230

It’s tough to want to go full-on head-first on the spread simply because it’s only Week 2 and the Vols didn’t have much of a challenge last week, whereas Pitt did. Still, Tennessee should win this game. Vols head coach Josh Heupel got that offense humming at the end of last season and QB Hendon Hooker has become one of the most fun signal callers to watch in the nation. I’m not particularly sold on Kedon Slovis. Getting Hammond back will be a big boost for the Pitt run game, but it’s a big ask for him to shoulder the entire load against a big SEC front seven.

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