Just under two months from now, the Josh Heupel era will officially begin on the field in Knoxville. Tennessee will open with Bowling Green on a Thursday night, looking to get off on the right foot to kickoff the 2021 season.
Despite plenty of questions surrounding this Tennessee team, Vegas still likes the Volunteers in a big way. Tennessee has been installed as a 27 point favorite over the Falcons, according to SportsBetting.ag.
Tennessee opens as a 27-point home favorite vs. Bowling Green in the opening game of the Josh Heupel Era, via @SportsBettingAG.
— David Ubben (@davidubben) June 30, 2021
Bowling Green went 0-5 in an abbreviated 2020 season. They gave up 31+ points in each game, never scoring more than 24 points in any of the five games. They lost each contest by 28 points or worse.Head coach Scott Loeffler won three games in his first season back in 2019, but took a step backwards in an odd 2020 season.
So while this line seems big for a Tennessee team that will be starting from scratch, it seems to be more about how bad of a spot Bowling Green is in at this point.
Other books already have pushed this line out to 28, even 30 points.
Tennessee will take on Bowling Green on September 2nd, giving them an extra couple of days to prepare for a fascinating matchup against Pittsburgh in week two.