There will be no chance to ease out of the gates this season for the Virginia football team. The Cavaliers open the season in Nashville for a so-called neutral site game against Tennessee. The Volunteers enter 2023 ranked No. 12 in the preseason by The Associated Press and they’ll have a decided crowd advantage in their home state even if the game’s not in their home city of Knoxville.

Beyond the simple advantage of location, however, Tennessee also rolls into the opener off of an 11-2 season in 2022. That campaign ended with a 31-14 win in the Orange Bowl against Clemson, the ACC’s most consistent team over the past decade, and a spot in the top 10. While the Vols must replace some key elements of that team’s success, there’s plenty of experience and talent back in the fold too.

It’s all added up to make UVA a 28.5-point underdog by oddsmakers.

A lot of Tennessee’s advantage on paper comes from the offense. The Volunteers led the nation last season in both scoring offense and total offense with averages of 46.1 points per game and 525.5 yards per game. Hendon Hooker had a lot to do with that at quarterback as he passed for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions last season. Joe Milton III will be looked at to step in there as he did in the Orange Bowl with a big outing of 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 971 yards and 10 touchdowns last season in the reserve-then-starter role.

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