Virginia at Tennessee Week 1 College Football Matchup Virginia at Tennessee Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Sep 2 2023 · Week 1 · Neutral Site · 🏟 Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN · Turf · 68,798 cap
Virginia✈ 472 mi-1 hr TZ Tennessee✈ 159 mi-1 hr TZ
Away (Neutral)
13 49
Final
Home (Neutral)
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Virginia
18
Tennessee
37
P&R Line Tennessee -19
P&R Total O/U 55.5
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Tennessee -27.5 · O/U 56.0
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Tennessee -27.5
O/U 56.0
William Hill (New Jersey)
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → Tennessee · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
Virginia 2023 Schedule
Virginia's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Virginia vs Tennessee+27.5L13–4956.0L13–49ON
Sat 9/9Virginia vs James Madison+6.0L35–3640.0L35–36OY
Fri 9/15Virginia at Maryland+16.5L14–4248.5L14–42ON
Fri 9/22Virginia vs NC State+8.5L21–2447.5L21–24UY
Sat 9/30Virginia at Boston College+5.0L24–2752.5L24–27UY
Sat 10/7Virginia vs William & Mary-10.0W27–1342.0W27–13UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/21Virginia at North Carolina+24.0W31–2758.0W31–27UY
Sat 10/28Virginia at Miami+18.5L26–2948.0L26–29OY
Sat 11/4Virginia vs Georgia Tech-2.0L17–4557.5L17–45ON
Thu 11/9Virginia at Louisville+20.5L24–3149.5L24–31OY
Sat 11/18Virginia vs Duke+4.0W30–2748.5W30–27OY
Sat 11/25Virginia vs Virginia Tech+2.5L17–5552.5L17–55ON
Tennessee 2023 Schedule
Tennessee's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Tennessee vs Virginia-27.5W49–1356.0W49–13OY
Sat 9/9Tennessee vs Austin Peay-48.0W30–1365.5W30–13UN
Sat 9/16Tennessee at Florida-5.0L16–2957.0L16–29UN
Sat 9/23Tennessee vs UTSA-24.0W45–1459.0W45–14UY
Sat 9/30Tennessee vs South Carolina-12.0W41–2059.0W41–20OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/14Tennessee vs Texas A&M-3.0W20–1354.5W20–13UY
Sat 10/21Tennessee at Alabama+8.5L20–3447.5L20–34ON
Sat 10/28Tennessee at Kentucky-4.0W33–2750.5W33–27OY
Sat 11/4Tennessee vs UConn-35.0W59–355.5W59–3OY
Sat 11/11Tennessee at Missouri-1.0L7–3658.5L7–36UN
Sat 11/18Tennessee vs Georgia+9.0L10–3859.0L10–38UN
Sat 11/25Tennessee vs Vanderbilt-27.0W48–2458.0W48–24ON
Mon 1/1Tennessee vs Iowa-4.5W35–037.0W35–0UY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2023 season
Tennessee PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
All 4 Agree
→ Tennessee
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
3 Agree
→ Tennessee
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Tennessee
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Virginia #88
+0.316
Tennessee #36
+0.539
Tennessee Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Virginia #67
+0.581
Tennessee #39
+0.670
Tennessee Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Virginia #96
0.150
Tennessee #35
0.178
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Tennessee Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Virginia #85
+7.087
Tennessee #94
+7.714
Tennessee Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Virginia #84
+0.798
Tennessee #24
+0.914
Tennessee Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Virginia #105
71.9
Tennessee #44
69.7
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Tennessee Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2023 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Tennessee Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Virginia
7.0
Tennessee
14.6
Offense Rating
Virginia
17.9
Tennessee
21.0
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Virginia
10.9
Tennessee
6.4
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Virginia Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Virginia #58
0.00
Tennessee #68
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Virginia #36
0.00
Tennessee #89
0.00
Virginia +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Virginia Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Virginia #1
0.0
Tennessee #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Virginia #93
0.0
Tennessee #24
0.0
Virginia +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
Tennessee
2 — 0 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Tennessee
98.7 — 0.5 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Tennessee won by 36
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Tennessee, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Virginia
Tony Elliott #1
3–10 (23%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Des Kitchings Yr 2 #1
DC John Rudzinski Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Tennessee
Josh Heupel #1
20–9 (69%) · Yr 3 at school
OC Joey Halzle Yr 1 #1
DC Tim Banks Yr 3 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: Momentum Control is a great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: Game Control is another great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself