Ohio Tennessee Odds

A matchup between a mid-major program and a Power Five one takes place in the Volunteer State. The Ohio Bobcats travel south to face the #15 Tennessee Volunteers Saturday afternoon. The game kicks off at 12:00 pm ET from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Television coverage for the contest is provided by the SEC Network. The Vegas odds have Tennessee as a hefty 27.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 58 points in this contest.

Ohio bounced back from a tough shootout loss to Texas State in the opener by downing Kansas 37-21 on the road last week. Tennessee rolled over Virginia Tech, 45-24, in a game held at Bristol Motor Speedway last Saturday. This is just the second time the two schools have met. Tennessee took a 34-23 victory in the last, and only, meeting to date back in 2009.

Early Lean on Tennessee -27.5

Ohio piled up points in each of their first two games.  The Bobcats were fortunate to take on a Kansas team that can’t beat FBS programs with any regularity. Ohio racked up 496 yards of offense in the game while holding the Jayhawks to 232 yards. The Bobcats led 28-7 at the half and didn’t allow Kansas to get closer than 10 the rest of the way. Ohio forced three Kansas turnovers in the victory but has to cut down on big plays. The Bobcats allowed a kick return for a score along with TD passes of 74 and 22 yards in the game.

The Bobcats are piling up 563 yards of offense and 45.5 points per game so far this year. Greg Windham is solid so far this year at quarterback. He is 47 of 82 passing for 560 yards with five touchdown passes and an interception. Windham is second on the team with 183 rushing yards and a touchdown. Dorian Brown leads the Bobcats with 38 carries for 186 yards while Maleek Irons chips in 22 carries for 101 yards and two scores. Papi White (team high 154 yards, TD) and Jordan Reid (152 yards, 2 TD) each have nine catches to lead the team. Kyle Belack (82 yards) and Irons (49 yards) each have six receptions. Louie Zervos hit six of seven extra points and nine of 10 field goals this season with a long of 46 yards.

Tennessee, after a subpar performance against Appalachian State in the opener, bounced back after a sluggish first quarter against Virginia Tech. The Volunteers trailed 14-0 after one quarter but outscored the Hokies 45-10 the rest of the way. Tennessee lost the total yardage battle 400-330 but forced five Virginia Tech turnovers. The Volunteers turned those takeaways into 24 points. Two Tennessee touchdown drives started from the Virginia Tech 4 and 5 yard lines, respectively. Two other scoring drives started in Virginia Tech territory with a fifth starting at the Tennessee 48.

The Volunteers haven’t done a ton offensively: they are 118th in passing offense with 141.5 yards per game. Tennessee is in the middle of the pack with 183 rushing yards a game, putting them tied for 63rd in the FBS. Joshua Dobbs is 26 of 48 for 283 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He is second on the team with 102 rushing yards plus two scores. Jalen Hurd is the lead back in the ground game as he has 50 carries for 209 yards and a score. Alvin Kamara, the other back in the system, has a team high six catches for 45 yards and a score. Preston Williams (five grabs, 45 yards) and Josh Malone (four catches, team high 127 yards, 2 TD) are other targets. Aaron Medley is 8 of 8 on extra points and three of four on field goal attempts.

Tennessee is a tough team to figure out as they seem to play to the level of their competition. The Volunteers struggled to beat Appalachian State before overwhelming Virginia Tech. Tennessee has to do more offensively in order to be successful. Ohio is a potent offense but they haven’t faced a defense like the Volunteers with their speed. The Volunteers have burned a lot of people the last two weeks. I think they put it together and look like the team projected to win the SEC East. For more NCAA football picks, check this space every week!

The Volunteers are 4-0 ATS in their last four after a straight up win and 4-1 ATS in their last five overall. Ohio is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 on the road against teams with a winning home record.

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