Syracuse at Tennessee Week 1 College Football Matchup Syracuse at Tennessee Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Aug 30 2025 · Week 1 · Neutral Site · 🏟 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA · Turf · 71,000 cap
Syracuse✈ 781 miSame TZ Tennessee✈ 154 miSame TZ
Away (Neutral)
26 45
Final
Home (Neutral)
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Syracuse
15
TENN -13.5
Tennessee
42
P&R Line Tennessee -27
P&R Total O/U 57.5
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Tennessee -13.5 · O/U 53.5
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 -13.5
O/U 53.5
DraftKings
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → Tennessee · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
Syracuse 2025 Schedule
Syracuse's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/30Syracuse vs Tennessee+13.5L26–4553.5L26–45ON
Sat 9/6Syracuse vs UConn-7.0W27–2057.5W27–20UN
Fri 9/12Syracuse vs Colgate-37.5W66–2464.5W66–24OY
Sat 9/20Syracuse at Clemson+17.5W34–2153.5W34–21OY
Sat 9/27Syracuse vs Duke+4.0L3–3859.5L3–38UN
Sat 10/4Syracuse at SMU+17.5L18–3156.5L18–31UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/18Syracuse vs Pittsburgh+9.5L13–3054.5L13–30UN
Sat 10/25Syracuse at Georgia Tech+17.5L16–4152.5L16–41ON
Fri 10/31Syracuse vs North Carolina-1.5L10–2745.5L10–27UN
Sat 11/8Syracuse at Miami+28.5L10–3847.5L10–38OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/22Syracuse at Notre Dame+36.5L7–7051.5L7–70ON
Sat 11/29Syracuse vs Boston College+2.5L12–3454.5L12–34UN
Tennessee 2025 Schedule
Tennessee's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/30Tennessee vs Syracuse-13.5W45–2653.5W45–26OY
Sat 9/6Tennessee vs East Tennessee State-39.5W72–1758.5W72–17OY
Sat 9/13Tennessee vs Georgia+3.5L41–4450.5L41–44OY
Sat 9/20Tennessee vs UAB-39.5W56–2469.5W56–24ON
Sat 9/27Tennessee at Mississippi State-7.5W41–3463.5W41–34ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/11Tennessee vs Arkansas-10.0W34–3168.5W34–31UN
Sat 10/18Tennessee at Alabama+8.5L20–3760.5L20–37UN
Sat 10/25Tennessee at Kentucky-7.5W56–3455.5W56–34OY
Sat 11/1Tennessee vs Oklahoma-3.0L27–3355.5L27–33ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/15Tennessee vs New Mexico State-41.5W42–959.5W42–9UN
Sat 11/22Tennessee at Florida-3.5W31–1157.5W31–11UY
Sat 11/29Tennessee vs Vanderbilt-2.0L24–4566.5L24–45ON
Tue 12/30Tennessee vs Illinois-3.0L28–3062.5L28–30UN
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2025 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
Syracuse #127
+0.198
Tennessee #5
+0.608
Tennessee Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Syracuse #124
+0.319
Tennessee #19
+0.851
Tennessee Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Syracuse #114
0.134
Tennessee #19
0.184
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Tennessee Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Syracuse #123
+7.072
Tennessee #9
+8.834
Tennessee Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Syracuse #117
+0.822
Tennessee #5
+0.961
Tennessee Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Syracuse #109
72.4
Tennessee #92
71.8
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Tennessee Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2025 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
Syracuse
-2.2
Tennessee
13.5
Offense Rating
Syracuse
16.1
Tennessee
22.0
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Syracuse
18.3
Tennessee
8.4
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Syracuse Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Syracuse #126
0.00
Tennessee #19
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Syracuse #109
0.00
Tennessee #75
0.00
Syracuse +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? Syracuse Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Syracuse #1
0.0
Tennessee #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Syracuse #130
0.0
Tennessee #15
0.0
Syracuse +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
1 — 0 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Tennessee
97.4 — 1.5 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Tennessee won by 19
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
Syracuse
Fran Brown #1
9–3 (75%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Jeff Nixon Yr 1 #1
DC Elijah Robinson Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Tennessee
Josh Heupel #1
37–14 (73%) · Yr 5 at school
OC Joey Halzle Yr 3 #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