All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: SEC, top 25 picks and bets for Week 2 of 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Pregame flyover before the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Bowling Green Falcons held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.Kns Ut Football Bowling Green Bp
Pregame flyover before the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Bowling Green Falcons held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.Kns Ut Football Bowling Green Bp /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
15 of 15
Next
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 09: A general view of the outside of Neyland Stadium prior to the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Indiana State Sycamores on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 09: A general view of the outside of Neyland Stadium prior to the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Indiana State Sycamores on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Panthers at Tennessee Volunteers (ESPN)

Saturday, Sept. 11 at Noon ET; Neyland Stadium; Knoxville, Tenn.

Line: Pittsburgh -3; Over/Under: 56.5

Moneyline: Pittsburgh -160; Tennessee +135

Welcome to the Johnny Majors Classic. With an Iowa State Cyclones game on here, we’re actually picking the games for every team he ever coached. Tennessee football and the Pittsburgh Panthers is a bit of a toss-up game between two once-proud programs, built up by Majors.

More from All for Tennessee

The Vols come into this game off of an ugly 38-6 win over the Bowling Green Falcons. Their first appearance under head coach Josh Heupel showed that they will be fun to watch given their tempo, but they won’t always be successful. Numerous offensive miscues kept this game from being a bigger blowout, and these miscues seem like trends, not flukes.

Pitt, meanwhile, is coming off a 51-7 win over the UMASS Minutemen. Pat Narduzzi’s team still has an elite pass rush and a great passing game, and they may have found a running game. Kicking appears to be an issue, and that could come into play here, but everything else appears to be working well for them.

Prediction

Apologies to Vol Nation, but Pitt is winning this game. Although it’s a much bigger must-win for UT, the Vols’ offense can’t match up. Pitt wins games off an elite pass rush, and the way to stop that is make big plays deep. Joe Milton III showed he can’t be accurate on deep throws last week.

Next. Vols' 10 greatest upset wins in history. dark

Add in the fact that Tiyon Evans appears doubtful, and Tennessee football’s offense won’t get much going. Pitt won’t run the ball, but they’ll connect on a couple of big plays, and they’ll cover. Take the under here, as Narduzzi’s style will keep this from getting above 56 points.

Pittsburgh: 31 Tennessee: 21

Make your pick for this game now on WynnBET

Home/Vols Football