CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tennessee has a first-time head coach and a quarterback mystery. West Virginia has Dana Holgorsen and a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Those represent two reasons why the No. 17 Mountaineers are 9.5-point favorites for Saturday’s opener at Bank of America Stadium.
Former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt — part of four national championships with the Crimson Tide and a fifth at Florida State — takes in the challenge of rebuilding the Vols after a zany coaching search that ended with athletics director John Currie being fired.
Holgorsen enters his eighth season at West Virginia with a 53-37 record hoping Will Grier is the quarterback capable of finally delivering the school’s first Big 12 title.