This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh Betting Odds, Picks and Predictions for Week 2
Tennessee enters Week 2 coming off a 59-10 win over Ball State that hoisted the Volunteers into the top 25. Quarterback Hendon Hooker has shown no signs of slowing down following his tremendous season in 2021. This week we see part two of this home and home series in which Tennessee travels to Pittsburgh looking to get payback for last year's 41-34 loss at the hands of Kenny Pickett and the Pitt Panthers.
Tennessee @ Pittsburgh Odds for Week 2
Spread: Tennessee -6.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: 66.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Tennessee -250; Pittsburgh +200 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
This line opened at Tennessee -5, within 24 hours it jumped to -7 and has since settled down at -6.5. The total opened at 65.5 and over the course of a few days bumped up to 66.5 and hasn't seen much movement since.
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Tennessee @ Pittsburgh Betting Picks This Week
Last year's contest saw a total of 75 points as there was an onslaught of scoring from both sides. In last week's Backyard Brawl, Pitt showed they can still score in bunches even without Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison as they put up 38 points on West Virginia. However, Tennessee is not West Virginia and Kedon Slovis is certainly not Kenny Pickett. This Tennessee team has a lot of hype around them and for good reason. Hooker was great last season leading the Volunteers to 39.3 points per game, second in the SEC behind Bryce Young and the Alabama Crimson Tide. That is no small feat when you are playing in the toughest conference in college football.
Tennessee @ Pittsburgh Best Bet: Tennessee -6.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook
Tennessee @ Pittsburgh Prediction
Tennessee lost to Pitt 41-34 last year and this game might have a similar score but is likely to favor the other side. At this time last year, Hooker hadn't quite settled in yet and Kenny Pickett was in full control of the Pitt offense; it seems roles may be reversed for these teams this year. Hooker is in full control of the Tennessee offense and has proven to be extremely explosive, and while Slovis threw for 308 yards against WVU last week he didn't look comfortable at times as he missed some reads and held onto the ball too long resulting in five sacks despite good protection throughout the game. Tennessee's defense was nothing to write home about last year as it gave up 27.5 points a game but they should pose a greater threat than the Mountaineers did with a bigger more physical front seven. While you could make a great case for the over with a lot of what I laid out here, a part of me has some reservations with that play. Tennessee might have looked at some of last week's film and saw how vulnerable the Pitt defense was to the rushing attack. I also have some reservations about how effective Slovis can be despite the well-rounded offense Pitt still has. So while the over is a good play here too, I think Tennessee -6.5 is the better play.
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