Tennessee football vs. Pitt: Our final score predictions are in
Tennessee football will take on its first ranked Power Five opponent on Saturday.
The Vols are scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Panthers from Heinz Field at 3:30 p.m. While Tennessee ranked at No. 24 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll after dominating Ball State in Week 1, the Vols were left unranked in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Panthers were ranked No. 17 by the AP and No. 14 by USA TODAY.
Our experts took a deeper analysis on predictions for the Week 2 contest. Take a look at what they think.
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Adam Sparks, Tennessee beat reporter
Tennessee 36, Pittsburgh 30: The Vols have a formula, and they’ll follow it. Expect their tempo to earn an early lead and gas the Pitt defense. The Panthers will adjust, close the gap and find holes in UT’s pass defense. The Vols will need good decisions by Hendon Hooker down the stretch and a timely defensive stop, and they’ll get both for a key road win.
Mike Wilson, Tennessee beat reporter
Tennessee 45, Pitt 35: Tennessee is more equipped for a nonconference test with the Panthers than it was a year ago. The Vols roll into the former Heinz Field and win.
Phil Kaplan, SEC strategist
Tennessee 38, Pitt 31: I'm not sold on Tennessee's defense or Pitt's offense. It's probably why it wasn't easy to figure the final score. I wanted to give Tennessee more points but didn't want to add more touchdowns for the Panthers.
Blake Toppmeyer, SEC columnist
Tennessee 41, Pittsburgh 34: Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said facetiously that his Panthers play in the “pee-wee” league as compared to the all-mighty SEC. In truth, Pitt plays a physical, aggressive brand of ball that would fit nicely in the SEC. But the Vols’ tempo will affect Pitt. UT’s run game is the X-factor.
John Adams, senior sports columnist
Tennessee 41, Pittsburgh 34: Forget the adage: Games are won in the trenches, a reference to the line play that Jones characterized as a "fist fight in a phone booth." That has become outdated in this high-scoring era of up-tempo, spread offenses.
Dani Mohr is a trending sports writer for the South Region of USA Today Network based at The Tennessean in Nashville. Contact her at dmohr@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @daniraemohr
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football score predictions vs Pitt Panthers
