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Less than 24 hours after being upset by Georgia State, Tennessee has opened as favorites against BYU. On Thursday, the Cougars gave Utah a game for about three quarters before the Utes buried them late.
BYU was expected to be Tennessee’s toughest non-conference test this season. Summer lines placed the Volunteers as roughly a touchdown favorite over BYU. With a week under our belts, Vegas has backed that number down to just one point. However, early action has already brought that number to to 3.5.
Tennessee opened as a 1-point favorite over BYU. It's already been bet up to 3.5, per @TwitVI
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) September 1, 2019
One thing Tennessee has going for them is a cross-country trip for BYU.
How will Jeremy Pruitt’s team respond after being embarrassed in their home opener? What happens if they start 0-2? Pruitt and company have a chance to stop the bleeding on Saturday, but it comes against a team with more talent than Georgia State had.
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson will pose a similar threat to what Dan Ellington did on Saturday. Perhaps having senior linebacker Daniel Bituli back in the lineup will help the Volunteers. We’ll have to see if that’s a possibility on Monday.
Any hopes of a big step forward this year have already been dashed for the Vols — will they let it torpedo the entire season? Or will they get up off of the mat?
Saturday will be fascinating.