Two teams moving in seemingly opposite directions clash in Nashville on Saturday as the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Cavaliers meet. Last season, Tennessee was one of the best teams in the country, while Virginia had its worst year in a decade. Here, College Football Network has you covered with a full breakdown of Tennessee vs. Virginia.
Tennessee vs. Virginia Betting and DFS Preview
- Spread
Tennessee (-28) - Moneyline
Tennessee (-12500); Virginia (+1800) - Over/Under
57.5 Total Points - Game Time
12 p.m. ET - Location
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN - Predicted Weather at Kick
81 degrees, clear, 5-7 mph winds - How to Watch:
FuboTV, ABC
Looking to bet on the game? Use our widget below to easily place your bet if it is legal in your state.
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Top DFS and Fantasy Plays
All values below come from FanDuel’s multi-team entries for the weekend. Looking to sign up for FanDuel? New customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Click here for more details.
Tennessee Depth Chart | Virginia Depth Chart
- QB Joe Milton, Tennessee ($11,000)
- QB Tony Muskett, Virginia ($6,700)
- RB Jabari Small, Tennessee ($9,100)
- RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee ($6,200)
- RB Perris Jones, Virginia ($5,800)
- RB Kobe Pace, Virginia ($5,700)
- RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee ($5,400)
- RB Mike Hollins, Virginia ($5,200)
- WR Bru McCoy, Tennessee ($9,500)
- WR Ramel Keyton, Tennessee ($8,800)
- WR Dont’e Thornton, Tennessee ($7,300)
- WR Malik Washington, Virginia ($6,700)
- WR Squirrel White, Tennessee ($6,500)
- WR JR Wilson, Virginia ($6,000)
- WR Malachi Fields, Virginia ($5,500)
- TE Jacob Warren, Tennessee ($5,400)
- TE Hunter Salmon, Tennessee ($5,000)
- TE Grant Misch, Virginia ($4,900)
While Tennessee has some firepower, be careful stacking too many Volunteers. The prices are steep, and Virginia’s defense was excellent last season. Virginia loves to get pressure on the quarterback and can make things tricky for inexperienced starters.
Squirrel White is likely the breakout guy for the Volunteers this season, so he’s definitely a play to consider, especially at the price. The Volunteers will likely jump out to an early lead, so Small and Wright are value options.
Wright is an excellent value at $6,200. Despite being listed as the backup, Wright got more than ten touches a game last year and scored ten touchdowns. He doesn’t provide much receiving upside, but the Volunteers may keep it on the ground a bit more than usual against a staunch Cavalier secondary, so I really like him as a money-saving play.
Unless you’re in a money pinch, you shouldn’t give much consideration to many Virginia players and can likely find much better value elsewhere in Saturday’s early slate. Transfer running back Kobe Pace isn’t a bad option, but the Cavaliers are likely going to be trailing for most of the game and should be airing it out more as a result.
Prediction for Tennessee vs. Virginia
Virginia may be improved in 2023, but facing Tennessee on a neutral site that basically amounts to a road game is not the easiest start to the season.
A lot of what you think of this game probably comes down to what you think about Joe Milton. While the Volunteers are likely due for some regression on offense, there’s still plenty of firepower to score on most teams.
Furthermore, Virginia’s offense is not very good at the moment, and Tennessee’s defense—outside of a couple of slip-ups—was underrated last season. Even if the Cavaliers do figure out a way to register a few stops, FCS transfer Tony Muskett and company may have trouble moving the ball.
Tennessee’s secondary is a bit inexperienced, but the Volunteer front seven should be able to generate pressure and stop the run. A turnover or two on that side of the ball would doom the Cavaliers.
Tennessee should come out and move the ball, but the defense will be the real winner in Week 1. The under should hit, as it did easily in all three of Virginia’s non-conference games a season ago. Expect the Volunteers to cover in a blowout, led by a dominant defensive performance.
Prediction
Tennessee 42, Virginia 10