I have been all over the place on this game. I don’t like the match up in the line of scrimmage for the Vol offensive line against the Pitt defensive front.

I like it even less with Cooper Mays more doubtful than questionable and with Tyion Evans status in doubt.

Tennessee has to win on the perimeter. The Vol receivers must be better against press man coverage and Joe Milton obviously has to be better than he was a week ago.

Defensively, I don’t think this is a terrible match up for the Vols. They must defend the middle and they must get some pressure in Kenny Pickett’s face to try and knock him out of rhythm.

Pitt won’t be surprised by the Vols pace of play and Josh Heupel won’t be surprised by Pitt defensively.

I think this game comes down to a couple of key stats. Offensively it’s about first downs and what’s the average yards to go on third down. Tennessee must avoid third and long.

Defensively can Tennessee limit explosive plays and can the win in the redzone as Pitt will move the ball.

I just don’t know what to expect out of this passing game, but I will guess Vols in a toss up.

Tennessee 28 Pitt 27

Not much would surprise me in this game. Tennessee will not be at full strength but they still have enough to win this football game. If Pitt won the game by double digits I wouldn’t be surprised and if the crowd and momentum carried Tennessee in a 2006 Cal performance I won’t be shocked either.

How will Joe Milton play? That’s the biggest question and key in this game! After that, I think it’s the defense as they faced no challenge last week.

Pitt isn’t explosive but they are capable and solid. Tennessee has to force some turnovers in this football game. That’s how they win it in my opinion.

I’m the homer of the group but I think even I’m a bit impacted by the last decade. To quote Hubbs….I’ll need to see it to believe it in terms of winning a game like this that has so much impact on the rest of the season.

Pittsburgh 27 Tennessee 24

Editor’s Update:

Having thought about my response to the question earlier in the week asking if last week would change my mind on my season prediction and knowing I said no…I have exercised my game prediction change option! Chase McGrath stays perfect inside Neyland.

Tennessee 34 Pitt 31

I think it all comes down to this. If Joe Milton plays like he did in the opener Tennessee loses, plain and simple. If Milton plays decently and the Vols’ defensive line plays anywhere close to like they did in the opener the Vols win.

Heupel has had good success against Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi’s defenses in two prior meetings. He and UCF won 45-14 in 2018 and lost a barn burner 35-34 in 2019. He's played Narduzzi twice as a head coach and his offenses have scored 78 points. Pushing the ball down the field and creating ‘chunk plays’ was a big part of both games. Can Milton bounce back from a shaky performance in week one and make some of those plays?

How you feel about Tennessee’s chances probably hinges on where you come down on that question. I think they make some 'chunk plays.' That's kind of a leap of faith though is based solely on Heupel's team's past performances with different personnel at a different program. I could certainly be wrong.

Defensively I think this is a good match-up for Tennessee. Yes, Pitt has a ton of experience at quarterback and some proven performers at wideout. The Vols' secondary can match them in experience though and shouldn’t be at a disadvantage there, at least in terms of being surprised by anything.

Pitt has a lot of experience on the offensive line but it's a lot of experience back from what was the 110th best rushing offense in the country last year.

If the Vols' defensive front can approach what they did last week, just from an assignment and execution standpoint, against a Pittsburgh offense that really struggled to run the football in 2020 Tennessee wins a big one one Saturday.

I may regret this pick late Saturday afternoon, but...

Tennessee 31, Pitt 28

Not breaking any news here, but this is a big game for Tennessee. A victory could position the Vols for success in other tossup games later in the season. I think Tennessee has more talent on the roster but the Vols lack experience in some key places where Pitt boast seasoned veterans.

Of course Joe Milton must throw the ball better. The receivers have to help him out there, too, in catching the ball and gaining separation from those Panther corners who will be in their face. Can Tennessee run the ball well enough to force another guy in the box? That would be nice.

But the offensive line is in question and Pitt’s front-seven will get after it. Tennessee’s offense v. Pittsburgh’s defense is the matchup I’m uneasy with. Defensively, I think the Vols match up well, despite Kenny Pickett’s ability and experience. Can Alontae Taylor and Theo Jackson turn in another good game? The Vols need that from their senior leaders.

UT has the ability to rush the passer in this one, even if Byron Young is not on the field. I believe it’s a great measuring stick for this unit – especially against Pitt’s run game that is overly impressive. In my eyes, the Vols must get consistently better play from Milton and force some takeaways defensively – something it failed to do against Bowling Green – to win this one.

I think this game is going to be a good one, a close one. But I’ll side with the experience in Pickett and six defensive starters who return from a stellar defense a season ago.

Pittsburgh 31, Tennessee 27

You can't overstate the importance of Saturday's game for Tennessee. To me, it's going to swing the season one way or the other. There's still so many questions surrounding this football team and we're going to learn a lot about the Vols this Saturday, good or bad.

Ultimately I think Tennessee's defensive front does just enough to win this football game. Sure, Pitt returns quite a bit of experience along the offensive line, but it's the same o-line that helped the Panthers finish 13th in rushing in the ACC last season. They were also middle of the road in sacks allowed (26.0).

Kenny Pickett should worry Tennessee, but if the Vols are able to stop the run the way I think they'll be able to, it'll make Pitt's offense a whole lot more predictable.

The concern with this game for UT is on the offensive side of the ball. Joe Milton and the passing attack needs to take a step forward and it looks like they'll have to do so with the running game potentially lacking two key pieces in Cooper Mays and Tiyon Evans. With or without Mays, UT's interior o-linemen must do a great job of containing Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

This game is a toss up and either team winning would not come as a surprise, but on the day Tennessee honors Johnny Majors, UT's defensive front will come up big and get a big stop late in the game to put it away.

Tennessee 28, Pittsburgh 27