This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
Tennessee 
vs. Ball State 
Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 1
Tennessee enters the season with high expectations after a successful first season under Josh Heupel. Much of the offensive core returns, highlighted by quarterback Hendon Hooker, who threw for 31 touchdowns and accounted for over 3,500 yards of offense in his first season for the Vols and is at the helm of this explosive offense. The Vols get a MAC opponent to ease into the season with Ball State coming to Knoxville as nearly five-touchdown underdogs.
Tennessee vs. Ball State Odds for Week 1
Spread: Tennessee -35.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: 66.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Tennessee -10000; Ball State +3300 (FanDuel Sportsbook/BetMGM)
Unsurprisingly, Tennessee is heavily favored in this setup. The Vols have an implied total of 51.0, suggesting that Ball State has little chance of slowing Tennessee's high-powered offense. That leaves Ball State's implied total at 17, so the Cardinals will have to do some work of their own to push this to the over on Thursday night.
Tennessee vs. Ball State Betting Picks This Week
Tennessee cruised to an easy victory over a MAC opponent in last year's season-opener, routing Bowling Green 38-6. I expect this one to be similarly lopsided. 35.5 points is a number Tennessee can cover here, but I feel a stronger lean on the under (66.5) though that total has dropped from 68.5 over the last few days. Tennessee's offense does the heavy lifting to get this into the 60s, but I don't see Ball State doing enough on offense to push it over.
Tennessee vs. Ball State Best Bet: UNDER 68.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook
Tennessee vs. Ball State Prediction
As we've established, the sportsbooks are giving Ball State little chance at making this a competitive game. Between Tennessee's explosive offense that ranked 7th in SP+ in 2021 and 7th in scoring offense, it's hard to see the Volunteer attack dropping off with Hendon Hooker still at quarterback, along with Cedric Tillman and USC transfer Bru McCoy. The Vols have also recruited well defensively while Ball State is turning over more than 50 percent of its returning offense from 2021. This has the makings of a laugher as Tennessee opens the season with a resounding victory.
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