The Tennessee Vols and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets got their seasons over to very different starts in Week 1.

The Vols ushered in the Brandon Faizon era with a 56-9 shellacking of Furman. Tennessee’s true freshman quarterback accounting for five total touchdowns and showed with his arm and legs why he was a five-star QB coming out of high school.

Georgia Tech snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, blowing two golden opportunities to knock off Colorado in a 14-13 loss. The Yellow Jackets could not get the first down they needed to ice the game, and even allowing a touchdown, they had a 45-yard field goal attempt to win, but it was blocked.

Now, Tennessee heads down I-75 to Atlanta for a crucial early season non-conference clash. A to Z Sports’ college football writers weighted in on how they see it playing out.

Tennessee 37, Georgia Tech 24

Tennessee showed what it can do against a very outclassed opponent last week in Furman. However, the touch that Brandon showed on the deep ball and the success Tennessee had both in running the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage so dominantly on defense gives me belief that such a performance will translate well to a step up in competition.

Colorado eclipsed 180 rushing yards. Tennessee will do what they want offensively, and Tech will get some window dressing to keep this margin around the point spread.

Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Tennessee

Tennessee 33, Georgia Tech 20

Faizon Brandon only played about 2.5 quarters against Furman on Saturday, but that was all he needed to make a lasting first impression. The five-star signal caller lived up to the hype, accounting for five total touchdowns, 294 total yards, and showing efficiency with a 76% completion percentage. But Georgia Tech is not Furman. Coming off a Week 1 loss against Colorado on national television, Brent Key is going to have the boys buzzing, and I expect a better showing out of Alberto Mendoza after getting the first-game jitters out of the way. That being said, I think Tennessee’s tempo on offense and athleticism on defense will be too much for the Yellowjackets. Give me the Vols in one that’s tight early, but sees Tennessee pull away late.

Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama

Tennessee 31, Georgia Tech 17

The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off a strong win this past weekend, showing that their QB may be the real deal. But this time they’re playing a much more formidable opponent in the Yellowjackets. Now, they did lose to the Colorado Buffaloes, but this is a team you shouldn’t take lightly, largely because head coach Brent Key is one of the better head coaches in the country and isn’t talked about enough. He will have a good game plan ready. However, that probably won’t even matter. GT lost the battle of the trenches to Colorado, so imagine what a much bigger, better team like Tennessee will do. The Vols are going to walk out of this game likely feeling much better about the trenches and their run game.

Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

Tennessee 24, Georgia Tech 23

Simply put, Tennessee is the better team. Quarterback Faizon Brandon was solid against Furman in his first start on Saturday, including running the ball with effectiveness and attacking vertically with Mike Matthews.

There are two elements of hesitation with having the Volunteers as bigger favorites: the game is in Atlanta, and Georgia Tech is primed to give them a run for their money. Alberto Mendoza showed flashes of promise, and the Yellow Jackets defense was impressive against the Colorado Buffaloes. This is a sneaky candidate for game of the week.

Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida

Tennessee 31, Georgia Tech 13

I’m taking Tennessee to beat Georgia Tech 31-13 in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets should be a much tougher challenge than Tennessee’s season opener, but the Volunteers have the more complete roster and should be able to control the game on both sides of the ball. Tennessee opened the season with a dominant 56-9 win over Furman, while Georgia Tech dropped a close one to Colorado after surrendering the lead late.

I expect Georgia Tech to have some success early, particularly with the home crowd behind them, but Tennessee’s defense should eventually take over. The return of linebacker Arion Carter gives the Vols another major piece in the middle of their defense, and his ability to help contain Georgia Tech’s rushing attack could be crucial. Tennessee pulls away in the second half behind a few explosive offensive plays and leaves Atlanta with a convincing 31-13 victory.

Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame

Tennessee 33, Georgia Tech 20

Tennessee didn’t ask Faizon Brandon to do too much in his debut against Furman and he was very efficient with three touchdown passes compared to just four incompletions on the day. Playing Georgia Tech is a step up in competition, and a good tuneup ahead of playing Texas in a couple of weeks. Alberto Mendoza should be a solid challenge for Jim Knowles’ defense, but the difference in athletes between these two teams will be easy to see. The Vols could work their way into being a top-15 team next week with a convincing win over Georgia Tech. I expect Tennessee to go into Atlanta and win by a couple of scores minimum.

Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State