National media outlet predicts the final score of Tennessee Vols vs NC State matchup

The Tennessee Vols didn't face much of a challenge in their Week 1 win against the Chattanooga Mocs.

That'll change in Week 2 when the Vols take on the NC State Wolfpack in Charlotte on Saturday night.

NC State didn't play well in their Week 1 win against Western Carolina -- the Wolfpack trailed going into the fourth quarter before pulling away for a 38-21 win -- but they're still a much more formidable opponent than Chattanooga.

And just because NC State didn't play well in Week 1, doesn't mean they won't play well against Tennessee. The Vols can't take anything for granted against the Wolfpack just because they struggled at times against Western Carolina.

On Wednesday, 247Sports predicted the winners of some of the weekend's biggest games. And two of their writers -- Chris Hummer and Brad Crawford -- have the Vols beating NC State on Saturday.

Hummer has Tennessee winning 34-27 while Crawford has the Vols cruising to a 31-17 win.

From 247Sports : This is going to be one of the more telling games of the week. The initial returns on NC State weren't particularly positive with Grayson McCall and the Wolfpack offense struggling for long stretches against Western Carolina. That can't happen against Tennessee or the Wolfpack are going to get run out of the building. I think Tennessee is supremely undervalued early this year – elite defense and an offense with elite offensive potential.

It feels like the national media is waiting to see the outcome of this game before fully jumping on the Tennessee hype train.

A big win for the Vols against NC State could put Tennessee in the thick of the early-season College Football Playoff conversation.

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