The NC State Wolfpack and Tennessee Volunteers each dispatched their FCS foes in Week 1, leading neutral-site to a clash of undefeated teams in Week 2. The Duke’s Mayo Classic has become a staple of the early college football slate, and this year’s matchup features two teams with outside shots at the College Football Playoff, meaning a win would do wonders for each team’s resume.
Here, College Football Network breaks down the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and an NC State vs. Tennessee prediction.
Tennessee vs. NC State Betting Preview
All Tennessee vs. NC State odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Saturday, Sept. 7.
- Spread
Tennessee -8.5 - Moneyline
Tennessee -355, NC State +280 - Over/Under
61points - Game time
7:30 p.m. ET - Location
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC. - Predicted Weather at Kick
76 degrees, 6 mph winds, partly cloudy - How to Watch
FuboTV, ABC
This game was one of the first to move dramatically when betting lines dropped on Sunday afternoon. The line isn’t close to settled, but is there a betting advantage in the early going?
Tennessee had no trouble blowing out UT Chattanooga in Week 1, while it took NC State almost three and a half quarters to put away Western Carolina. If you’re going to take advantage of the Tennessee vs. NC State odds, consider a few of these factors first.
The CFN Strength of Schedule model gives the Volunteers a 66.9% chance of winning this matchup, which comes out to somewhere between a six and 6.5-point advantage for Tennessee.
That’s an interesting number given that this opened as a 4.5-point spread in favor of Tennessee before ballooning to its current position at 7.5. Bettors saw an advantage and bet up the Volunteers, but that number is past what the Strength of Schedule metric says it should be.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
This isn’t a true road game, but it’s likely going to be the most hostile environment Tennessee redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava has ever had to play in — the Wolfpack faithful should make the short drive down I-85.
Grayson McCall wasn’t great in NC State’s opener, but the receivers looked fantastic, something that could give the Wolfpack an advantage if Grayson McCall bounces back to his usual form.
Prediction For Tennessee vs. NC State
My prediction might be colored by my NC State playoff pick, but I think the Wolfpack will play substantially better than last week. Accordingly, I like the Wolfpack as they stand as underdogs of more than a touchdown.
McCall is a gamer and the best quarterback the Tennessee defense has seen in a while. We haven’t seen Nico Iamaleava in a competitive game yet, nor have we seen him in a hostile environment. While Charlotte will be closer to 50-50 than home-field advantage for the Wolfpack, that’s still bound to affect the redshirt freshman.
KC Concepcion is NC State’s best offensive player, but Jordan Waters and receiver Noah Rogers are the X-factors. The Tennessee defense will do everything it can to take away NC State’s primary option, so the emergence of a secondary option would be huge. Rogers has incredible potential and could have a breakout game Saturday.
Because I expect the Volunteers to have to keep their proverbial feet on the gas, I expect both teams to turn this into a shootout and hit the over. Give me the Volunteers in a close one, but NC State to cover 7.5.
Prediction: Tennessee 35, NC State 31
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