No. 15 Tennessee opens as huge home favorite in season opener against Chattanooga
Tennessee Football is a 38.5-point favorite against Chattanooga in the season opener on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium with the total set at 56.5, according to FanDuel. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time and the game will be televised by SEC Network.
The Vols, after finishing 9-4 last season, enter 2024 ranked No. 15 in both the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 and the US LBM Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Mocs are ranked No. 8 in the FCS Coaches Poll and are coming off an 8-5 season in 2023. They advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs, winning 24-21 at Austin Peay in the first round, then falling 26-7 at Furman.
Tennessee is 40-2-2 all time against Chattanooga and has won 10 straight against the Mocs. Saturday’s game will be the third meeting since 2014, when the Vols won 45-10 in Knoxville. It was a 45-0 Tennessee win in 2019.
Chattanooga beat Tennessee 14-6 at Neyland Stadium in November 1958 and won 5-0 in Chattanooga in 1905. The two teams tied in 1909 and 1910. The series dates back to a 16-6 Tennessee win on November 12, 1892.
Tennessee went 7-6 against the spread last season.
The Vols covered against South Carolina (-11.5), UTSA (-23.5), Texas A&M (-3), Kentucky (-4), Virginia (-27.5), UConn (-35) and Iowa (-6). They failed to cover against Austin Peay (-48.5), Florida (-5.5), Alabama (+8.5), Mizzou (-2.5), Georgia (+10.5) and Vanderbilt (-27).
A closer look at Tennessee’s 2024 schedule
After Saturday’s opener against Chattanooga, Tennessee goes away from home for the Duke’s Mayo Classic, facing North Carolina State on September 7 in a neutral-site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
After hosting Kent State on September 14, the Vols open SEC play with road games at Oklahoma (September 21) and at Arkansas (October 5).
Tennessee hosts Florida and Alabama back-to-back on October 12 and October 19, respectively, then has home games against Kentucky (November 2) and Mississippi State (November 9) before going to Georgia on November 16. The schedule ends with UTEP on November 23 and a trip to Vanderbilt on November 30.
Five home games already sold out
Tennessee athletic director Danny White announced on August 15 that the Vols had already sold out five home games this season, with limited single-game tickets remaining for the season opener against Chattanooga and Senior Day against UTEP in November.
The Vols have sold out home games against Kent State, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi State.
Tennessee has sold out its season ticket allotment of 70,500 for a second straight season and has a “season ticket interest list” that, as of April, was greater than 15,000 fans.
Neyland has been sold out for 13 straight home games, dating back to a 63-6 win over Akron on September 17, 2022. All seven home games last season were sold out and the final six home games of the 2022 season were capacity crowds.
