Initial betting lines for some of the bigger opening weekend games of college football are out, and the Vols are only viewed as slight favorites right now.
According to a tweet from ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, the Las Vegas SuperBook released their opening lines for some opening games for the 2017 college football season. And according to the SuperBook, Tennessee is only a 3.5 point favorite over Georgia Tech right now.
Openers via @LVSuperBook: Mich -4.5 UF; Bama -7.5 FSU; VT -4.5 WVU; UCLA -3.5 A&M; Tenn -3.5 GT; NCSt -5.5 SCar; LSU -14 BYU; Tex -16.5 Md
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 1, 2017
Tennessee hasn’t played Georgia Tech in football since 1987, and the Vols won that contest 29-15. The two teams played almost annually from 1946 to 1987, and the Yellow Jackets were part of the SEC until 1964. The two teams still played nearly every year for over twenty years after Tech left the conference. But this meeting will be their first since then.
The Vols haven’t lost a season opener since 2008 when they hosted UCLA and lost 27-24 in overtime. Since then, Tennessee has defeated Western Kentucky, UT-Martin, Montana, N.C. State, Austin Peay, Utah State, Bowling Green, and Appalachian State by a combined score of 352 to 94.
Georgia Tech is currently on a three-game winning streak against SEC East opponents, however. The Yellow Jackets defeated Vanderbilt (38-7), Georgia (28-27), and Kentucky (33-18) last season. Their last two wins of their 2016 season came against Georgia in the regular season finale and against Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Tennessee and Georgia Tech open up their respective 2017 seasons on Monday, September 4th in the newly constructed Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 8 PM Eastern time.
