Tennessee football vs NC State: Everything you need to know

Tennessee football opened its 2024 campaign 1-0 with a 69-3 win over Chattanooga. The Vols were dominant in all phases of the Week One game and now turn to ACC Championship contender NC State Wolfpack for their Week Two matchup. 

Both teams come into the Week Two matchup with a win after defeating their FCS opponents. Tennessee's win came in blowout fashion, while NC State struggled to survive Western Carolina but ended up pulling away in the second half and getting the 38-21 win. 

Matchup History

The Vols and Wolfpack have met three times over the years. The first meeting came in 1911 when NC State bested the Vols 16-0 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tennessee returned to Raleigh in 1939 and won 13-0. The final and most recent matchup was in the Georgia Dome for the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff, and the Vols won 35-21 to take the 2-1 series lead. 

This game will be the first time both teams are ranked coming into the game. Tennessee is a fringe College Football Playoff contender at No. 14, while NC State holds onto its spot at No. 24 after Week One. 

Betting Lines

The betting line opened at Tennessee -4 earlier this summer, meaning the Vols are four-point favorites. The line has moved quite a bit since Week One, more than doubling the Vols' number since Saturday. 

Tennessee is now a 9.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel. The line continues to climb in Tennessee's favor as we get closer to kickoff. The over/under is set to 60.5 points, which means Vegas sees the final score as somewhere around 35-25 in favor of the Vols. 

Old QB vs Young QB

This week two matchup will be the first test for both teams as they prepare to make a run at each of their respective conferences. NC State is led by sixth-year player Grayson McCall, who transferred from Coastal Carolina after spending five seasons in Myrtle Beach. 

Tennessee's quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, is just a redshirt freshman and still has a lot to prove with full college eligibility remaining. He came out of the gate firing, setting a program record for most passing yards in a single half, but he is looking for more moving forward. 

McCall looked like the younger quarterback last week, completing 26 of 40 passes for 318 yards, but he missed some opportunities throughout the game. On the other hand, Nico looked like the proven veteran against Chattanooga, threading the needle and putting the ball exactly where it needed to be throughout the first half. 

Kickoff and Broadcast

Tennessee and NC State are scheduled for a primetime kickoff with a national television slot. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM ET on ABC for the ACC vs SEC matchup. 

ESPN's all-star crew will join the Vols in Charlotte, North Carolina, to call the game. Rece Davis will call play-by-play and will be joined by Kirk Herbstreit in the booth, and Holly Rowe will be the game's sideline reporter.