NC State? Florida? Alabama? See if the Vols are favored.
We’re a little under four months out from the start of the college football season, but the gambling industry never stops. Now past spring practices and with the bulk of the transfer portal shuffling finished, we’ve got a decent picture of what everyone has going into the 2024 season.
Tennessee has settled into the 15-20 range in most way-too-early preseason polls, which as we know are always useless. However, lines coming out of Vegas can be useful, and DraftKings Sportsbook released a handful of Tennessee matchups this week.
Let’s go through them.
Tennessee (-5.5) vs. NC State (Charlotte)
Sneaky good game here — NC State is a really solid program, and they keep reloading using the transfer portal. This year they land prolific quarterback Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, which should be a big upgrade over Brennan Armstrong last season. They also landed wide receiver Noah Rogers from Ohio State, along with tight end Justin Joly from UConn, who we’re all familiar with after last season.
Tennessee (+5) at Oklahoma
Josh Heupel is a projected underdog for his return to Norman. The Sooners will turn to quarterback Jackson Arnold here, setting up a big showdown between former top prospects with Nico Iamaleava playing on the other side.
Of note — this will be Oklahoma’s first official SEC matchup.
Tennessee (-11) vs. Florida
The Florida Gators are setup for a brutal season on paper, but frankly that never seems to matter in this rivalry. Tennessee always seems to get the Gators’ best shot, no matter the venue or the caliber of team.
Knoxville will play host this year, with a new date — October 12th.
Tennessee (+2) vs. Alabama
The Nick Saban era is over, and Tennessee fans can at least celebrate sending Saban out of Neyland Stadium for the final time in 2022 with a loss. Enter Kalen DeBoer and his creative offense, coming in from Washington. This one already feels like a shootout, and Vegas thinks it’s going to be a nail-biter.
Tennessee (+17.5) at Georgia
Kirby’s machine rolls on. Despite losing Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey to the NFL, the Georgia offense will be anchored by veteran quarterback Carson Beck. They’ll be loaded on defense again, and Tennessee will have to walk into a buzzsaw down in Athens on November 16th.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.
Full Tennessee 2024 Schedule
Aug 31 vs. Chattanooga
Sep 7 vs. NC State (Charlotte)
Sep 14 vs. Kent State
Sep 21 @ Oklahoma
Sep 28 BYE
Oct 5 @ Arkansas
Oct 12 vs. Florida
Oct 19 vs. Alabama
Oct 26 BYE
Nov 2 vs. Kentucky
Nov 9 vs. Mississippi State
Nov 16 @ Georgia
Nov 23 vs. UTEP
Nov 30 @ Vanderbilt