Pat Narduzzi’s Pittsburgh Panthers are coming off of an ACC Championship. They’re the No. 17 team in the country, poised to make another run at a conference title. And yet, they’re a 6.5 point underdog at home to No. 24 Tennessee.
Pittsburgh escaped Knoxville with a win against Josh Heupel’s year-one Tennessee team. The Volunteers — a clear mid-pack SEC team last season — could have (and should have) easily toppled the Panthers on that day, if not for several missed opportunities early in the game. Joe Milton started at quarterback for that one, but Hendon Hooker finished, and Tennessee really transformed after that moment.