Tennessee vs. Syracuse: One of the more underrated Week 1 matchups is taking place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday at noon Eastern. Tennessee and Syracuse, both following a 10-3 season, look to kick their 2025 schedule off on a high note.
The Volunteers are laying from -13.5 to -14 points, with the total ranging anywhere from 50.5 to 51.5. Let’s dig into my game preview, plus picks and predictions between Tennessee and Syracuse.
Check out the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks. Plus, you’ve still got some time to add more futures to your portfolio so be sure to check out our Power Four Conference Previews below.
Tennessee vs. Syracuse NCAA Football Insights
Is Joey Aguilar ready to take over the Volunteers offense?
Tennessee vs. Syracuse Betting Odds
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Spread
- Syracuse +14 (-115)
- Tennessee -14 (-105)
Moneyline
- Syracuse +409
- Tennessee -540
Total
- Over 50.5 (-115)
- Under 50.5 (-105)
What’s Different?
A new season brings in new prospects — and such is the case at the quarterback position for both Tennessee and Syracuse. Out with Nico Iamaleava and Kyle McCord, and in with Joey Aguilar and Steve Angeli.
Aguilar spent the last two seasons at Appalachian State, where he threw for more than 6,700 yards with 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over 25 games. He’s got big shoes to fill after Iamaleava led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff, where the Volunteers lost 42-17 to Ohio State in the first round. The bar has been set for Coach Josh Heupel and his crew, and they’re banking on Aguilar being the guy to reach those heights and then some.
Clearly, Aguilar is not afraid to sling it and has the chance to mesh extremely well with Heupel’s system, but the turnovers could become an issue at some point this season.
On the other side, former Notre Dame backup Steve Angeli has big cleats to fill as well, considering he’ll have to replace last year’s top passer, Kyle McCord. With his lack of starting experience, a new roster and system, and a matchup against last year’s sixth-ranked defense, this could be a rude awakening for Angeli.
Sure, there may be a bit of a learning curve for the Volunteers’ new-look defense to begin the game, but they should eventually find their rhythm and wreak havoc.
The Tennessee Trample
The Volunteers appear to have a pretty sizable advantage entering this Week 1 matchup – and that’s on the ground. They did lose Dylan Sampson to the NFL, but have a trio of DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas to fill his void.
Their first opponent is a run defense that finished 86th in FBS, according to PFF. Syracuse also allowed more than five yards per carry and over 150 total rushing yards per game. The Orange were that vulnerable against the run last year, and their defensive line entering this season is even more depleted.
Tennessee should look to establish the run early and often so they can control this game and limit the potential for Aguilar to make mistakes or force turnovers.
Syracuse Scaries
Outside of how poor their run defense will be, I can’t help but reiterate the unknown of what quarterback Steve Angeli may or may not be.
In brief samples, sure, he seemed all right, but this is a tough first start for a relatively unknown commodity. He’s facing an elite defense that will limit his capabilities, and Angeli’s own defense will most likely dig his team in a hole early on and force him to be more aggressive and risky than he’d prefer. Plus, he’ll be traveling to a stadium that, despite being neutral, will likely be packed with Volunteer fans.
With McCord, the transition was relatively seamless. He already had a year of starts at Ohio State against tougher Big Ten defenses, so moving to the ACC gave him the benefit of facing weaker competition. Angeli doesn’t have that luxury entering his first stint with Syracuse.
And second-year head coach Fran Brown doesn’t get to just waltz into this season hoping for a decent year – he won 10 games in 2024. There are going to be expectations to finish in that realm once again, except this time there is a target on their back from opponents. Teams will not overlook Syracuse this time around.
Best Bet
Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of laying bigger spreads in College Football – especially in Week 1 when teams have had all offseason to prepare for this specific matchup.
However, these are two teams that are heading in different directions this season. Following a playoff appearance, Tennessee has realistic goals of reaching the postseason yet again. The team will go as far as Aguilar takes them, but clearly he’s got the tools to make magic happen, he just needs to limit the chaos. With a quality coaching staff surrounding him, I believe he’ll manage that effectively.
Syracuse was fortunate to land a quarterback like McCord last season, and nobody knew what to expect out of Brown in Year 1. Now the tape is out, and a presumably weaker quarterback and defense are in place.
Let’s look for Tennessee to make a statement in Week 1 and cover -13.5. Be sure to shop around, as several books are still hanging the spread below the key number of 14.
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