Tennessee Opens as Big Favorite Over Charlotte in Season-Opener

As of right now, the University of Tennessee’s Football Program will have their season-opener in Neyland Stadium on September 5th against the Charlotte 49ers. However, in recent days, the odds of the Volunteers actually being able to go through with their match-up against the 49ers appears to be increasingly unlikely — as numerous conferences, including the Big Ten and the Ivy League, have announced that they will scrap their original plans in favor of a modified season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Despite the sense of uncertainty surrounding the Volunteers and 49ers’ potential match-up, the opening betting-line has been released by Circa Sports. The betting organization has made the Volunteers a 24-point favorite, which — while it is a very big margin — is significantly less than what Tennessee opened as against Georgia State in 2019.

However, to Charlotte’s credit, the 49ers are coming off of a much better season than the Panthers were when they came to Neyland Stadium. In 2018, Georgia State finished their season with a mere 2 wins — which is why it was such a shock when they were able to stun Jeremy Pruitt’s team last season. The 49ers are in much different shape, as they wrapped up a decent 7-5 regular season in 2019 despite having a semi-tough non-conference schedule.

Even though Charlotte is coming off of a good season in 2019, their head coach — who is one of the youngest in the country — knows that facing the Volunteers in Neyland Stadium will be one of the toughest tasks he’s ever had to manage. “I think Coach Pruitt has done a tremendous job,” said 35-year-old Will Healy during a recent interview with WNML. “I think obviously what they’re doing in recruiting right now is insane. I think that the progress they made, especially the second half of the season last year, is really impressive. I’ve always known (Jeremy Pruitt) was a great football coach.”

“I used to recruit his dad’s high school, so I knew about him, but I didn’t really know him. He may not know who the heck I am, but I look forward to getting a chance to meet him and be around him.” said the up-and-coming head coach. “I know he’s exceptional at what he does, obviously one of the best defensive minds in the game — and I really do (believe it) no coachspeak. Being a Tennessee guy I’m impressed with what he’s done to bring some life back into Tennessee football.”

Healy grew up going to Knoxville during the fall to watch the Volunteers play, and as a result is very fond of the University of Tennessee’s program. However, he knows that will all go out the window on September 5th when (assuming no changes are made due to the COVID-19 Pandemic) his team goes into Neyland Stadium to tangle with the Big Orange.