TENNESSE VS OKLAHOMA (TEN -6.5, 57)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
Volunteers vs Sooners 9/21/24
Josh Heupel was a major force behind Oklahoma's football comeback 25 years ago. Heupel will be a part of yet another historic occasion on Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma, when his sixth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers play the No. 15 Sooners. It will be Oklahoma’s first game in SEC play.
Heupel, a Utah native and product of Snow College, signed with the Sooners shortly after Bob Stoops took over as Oklahoma's head coach prior to the 1999 campaign. In his first season, the Sooners played in a bowl game for the first time in five seasons. The following year, Oklahoma went undefeated and won the seventh national championship in program history. That season, Heupel also placed second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
When Heupel was a player, Brent Venables, who is in his third season as head coach of the Sooners, shared defensive coordinator duties with Oklahoma. Heupel worked under Stoops for a long time as an assistant at Oklahoma as well, but he was let go after the 2014 campaign. Heupel is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Volunteers after holding assistant coaching positions at Utah State and Missouri before landing his first position at UCF.
Heupel still has a lot of friends in Oklahoma. The Sooners were underdogs or had to come from behind in order to earn a 7-5 record in Heupel’s first season in Norman. All of a sudden, the Sooners go 13-0 and the program is back. Heupel had a lot to do with that. But, it has nothing to do with today’s game.
Tennessee (3-0) has outscored its opponents 191–13, making it one of the most potent offenses in college football. Two of the best quarterbacks to come out of the 2023 class were Jackson Arnold of Oklahoma and Nico Iamaleava of the Volunteers.
The Volunteers have averaged 693.3 yards per game this season thanks to Iamaleava's 71.6 percent completion rate and a potent running attack. Venables knows the Tennessee quarterback can be dangerous. This will be Iamaleava’s first real test.
So far in 2024, Oklahoma's defense has been its strongest point. The Sooners (3-0) have forced 10 turnovers thus far, which is tied for the most in the country. The Sooners are limiting opponents to less than 265 yards per game. Heupel knows how good the Sooners are and knows his team must avoid turnovers.
WR Jalil Farooq will miss the game for Oklahoma, and linebacker Dasan McCullough was listed as doubtful. OT Jake Taylor and C Branson Hickman are listed as doubtful for the Sooners.
Tennessee strong safety John Slaughter and OG Shamurad Umarov will miss the game as well. OT Lance Heard is listed as questionable. Both Tennessee and Oklahoma have won 7 of their past 10 games. The Vols have been better against the number, going 7-3 ATS in their last 10. The Sooners have gone 4-6 ATS.
Get free NCAAF Picks and NCAAF Predictions for the top games on the weekly 2024 NFL schedule from JA Cavalier, one of the industry's premier expert NCAAF handicappers. J.A. Cavalier has been bringing the NCAAF betting community the best NCAAF free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best NCAAF moneyline and run line odds and game totals.
COACH RICK FREE PICK:
FREE PICK: TENNESSEE (1H) -3.5
If you’ve been following us at Ylose.com, you know that we love Tennessee. We especially like the Vols early in games. Head coach Josh Heupel is a master play caller and his game plans are outstanding. Heupel spent 3 years at UCF and is now in his 4th at Tennessee. His teams are 43-17-2 ATS in the first half. When on the road, Heupel’s teams are even better - 22-7-1 ATS. The Sooners defense will be the first real test for the Vols, but Heupel and his crew is ready for it.