The Volunteers find themselves ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in a while heading into the year and are fresh off a 45-28 Bowl victory over Iowa.
They’re set to come on strong to start the year as they battle the Falcons from Bowling Green.
ODDS
BookMaker opened the odds with Tennessee three touchdown favorites over Bowling Green. The spread has dropped just a half point since it opened and now sits at 20.5 in favor of the Volunteers.
There’s been far more movement on the total, however, rising from its original 60 to 66.
The jump isn’t surprising as Tennessee is returning quarterback Joshua Dobbs who was the spark to the offense in the air and on the ground a year ago. The team has many more key skill players returning as well and should be able to put points on the board in bunches.
KEY MISMATCH
Bowling Green’s offense should be pretty good. Quarterback Matt Johnson is back from an injury and has plenty of help with Travis Greene on the ground and Roger Lewis a target in the air.
Tennessee’s defense is stacked and should be able to hold them at bay behind 21 combined sacks for Curt Maggitt and Derek Barnett.
On the other side, however, is where we have the mismatch. The Volunteers’ have an experienced offense headed by Dobbs who completed 63.3% of his passes in six games for 1,206 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 469 yards and eight more scores on the ground. Jalen Hurd’s 899 rushing yards also return.
The Falcons defense doesn’t stack up well against such a talented offense. Bowling Green ranked No. 115 last year, allowing 493.6 total yards per game on defense. Perhaps even scarier, the team didn’t infuse the unit with much additional talent. Instead, they’ve lost most of the unit and could be even worse in 2015.
KEY STAT
.71 – This was the Falcons’ turnover margin last season. It’s rather surprising considering the defensive woes, but Bowling Green was in the positive here, gaining 33 turnovers while allowing only 23.
BETTING ANGLE
Marquez North is potentially the team’s most prolific receiver and he’s sidelined along with three other wide outs. The injuries could be key, though against a poor defense like Bowling Green’s the dominant running attack may be enough to still allow the Volunteers to dominate.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Volunteers are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team out of the MAC, but Tennessee should be better than they’ve been in years. They’ve put together a team full of talent and motivation coming off a strong finish a year ago.
Tennessee has finally put its name on the national stage and they’ll look to stay there so I don’t look for them to back off late in the game, instead opting to continue racking up the points in an effort to stay in the Top-25 heading into Week 2.
The Bowling Green offense may be able to put some points on the board making the Over worth a look, even after a six point raise, but they’ll struggle to shut down Tennessee.
Look for the Volunteers to get rolling early and top the spread.
Tennessee 51, Bowling Green 17
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Volunteers were positioned as 21-point favorites with a total of 60. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Bowling Green Falcons and Tennessee Volunteers square off on Saturday, September 5, 2015, at 4 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium. The contest will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
