Tennessee and Syracuse are facing off on Saturday afternoon of Week 1. The game will take place at 12:00 P.M. EDT in Atlanta, Georgia. Syracuse is coming off a great season where Kyle McCord led the nation in passing yards. Meanwhile, Tennessee is looking to recover from the transfer of quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
The Volunteers are 13.5-point favorites in this game on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Tennessee is a -550 favorite on the Moneyline, and the total is set at 51.5 points. This is a preview, prediction, and pick for this Syracuse-Tennessee game.
Syracuse vs. Tennessee Preview
Syracuse Preview
Syracuse had a great 2024 season in the first year under head coach Fran Brown. Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord was fantastic in Jeff Nixon’s offense, leading the nation in passing yards last season. Syracuse went 9-3 in the regular season and capped their season off with a Holiday Bowl victory. Despite that great success, this could be a rebuilding season for the Orange. McCord left for the NFL, along with leading rusher LeQuint Allen and leading receiver Jackson Meeks. Their other star receiver, Trebor Pena, transferred out to Penn State. It will be Fran Brown’s goal to just maintain some stability this season and not let the program take too big a drop-off, not to try to reach that level of success again this season. Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli has won the starting quarterback job, but multiple backups could get a chance if Angeli doesn’t thrive in Nixon’s system. It could take some time for Syracuse to find their feet with so many new pieces, and this is a tough first test.
Tennessee Preview
Tennessee had a whirlwind of an offseason. They made the College Football Playoff in the first year with Nico Iamaleava as their starting quarterback, and the future looked bright in Knoxville. However, Iamaleava left the school unexpectedly after things soured between him and the leadership at the program. Iamaleava was meant to be their quarterback of the future, but transferred to UCLA on bad terms. In turn, Tennessee brought in Appalachian State transfer quarterback, Joey Aguilar, who was originally going to transfer to UCLA before Iamaleava took his starting spot. Aguilar was a great player at App State; however, he might not be up for the job at a program with as high of expectations as Tennessee. Tennessee also lost their star EDGE, James Pearce Jr., and their star running back, Dylan Sampson, to the NFL. All of these losses at key positions could make it tough for Tennessee to carry the momentum they built last season
Syracuse vs. Tennessee Pick
These are two programs likely heading in the wrong direction after great 2024 seasons. Both teams will be breaking in new quarterbacks and new starters at many key positions. This game will also be held on a neutral field, although the Atlanta crowd should be predominantly Tennessee fans. All of these factors could lead to a sluggish start to this game. The Tennessee defensive line has the athletes to dominate the line of scrimmage against Syracuse, and they should shut down their new-look offense for the most part. On the offensive side of the ball, Tennessee will probably take a conservative approach with their new quarterback. They should lean on their defense and advantage in the trenches to make it out of Atlanta with a win. This should lead to the game finishing under the listed total of 51.5 points.
