The Chick-fil-A Kickoff doubleheader continues Monday night with Tennessee and Georgia Tech kicking off at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Alabama defeated Florida State here Saturday night.
Tennessee was in Atlanta as part of the opening act of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff weekend in 2012, beating NC State in the old Georgia Dome. Both teams will be debuting new starting quarterbacks after the departure of multiyear starters Joshua Dobbs and Justin Thomas, and both teams hope to use this big-time spot as an opportunity to kick-start a potential division title run in their respective conferences.
Viewing information
Date: Monday, Sept. 4 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta
TV: ESPN | Live stream: WatchESPN
Storylines
Tennessee: Who will be face(s) and key players for the Vols in 2017? Butch Jones and his staff have recruited at a high level, but for most outside of Knoxville, there's not much knowledge about this year's team. Instead, there's only the expectation that they'll be in the mix in the annually wide-open SEC East. The injury issues that derailed a potential run a year ago forced a lot of players onto the field early, but will that experience make them better?
Those injury issues have already become a major storyline for Tennessee in 2017, starting with some setbacks for an offensive line that needs to gel and the loss of top linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. to a knee injury. Georgia Tech presents a unique challenge for the defense with its flexbone option attack, meaning those linebackers and the defensive line will carry as much weight as the starting quarterback, which has yet to be named between Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano.
Georgia Tech: Like Tennessee, the starting quarterback is going to be a hot topic for fans after losing three-year starter Thomas. At his best, Thomas had the Yellow Jackets tearing through the ACC and winning the Orange Bowl. But it's not the quarterback that has Georgia Tech fans excited about this season, it's the offensive line. The group up front sets the tone for Georgia Tech's offense, and Paul Johnson has spoken with great confidence in his offenses' ability to execute regardless of quarterback and even without preseason All-ACC pick Dedrick Mills (dismissed) in the backfield.
Prediction
It's been a while since Georgia Tech's defense has been in the spotlight, since most of their contests are dictated by the success and ball control of the offense, but I think it's that matchup where the game is decided. Tennessee has a brand new offense to debut and probably could use a few long scoring drives to allow the new quarterback to fall into a comfortable rhythm. Can Tennessee move the ball on the ground successfully? Will the Vols avoid making costly mistakes in the passing game? I see this game being close and probably decided by a field goal, so I'll take the underdog with an offensive line I trust. Pick: Georgia Tech +3.5