Kentucky vs. Tennessee: Early point spread released for Wildcats, Volunteers

In an SEC East showdown that often determines how each team feels about its season success, Kentucky and Tennessee are set to meet. And the early point spread indicates it could be a pretty good game.

Tennessee opens as a 3.5-point favorite over Kentucky, according to lines released by FanDuel. The over/under is set at 50.5.

The Volunteers are coming off a 34-20 loss against Alabama, one that will have the team feeling looking to right the wrongs of losing after holding 20-7 halftime lead.

It had been a fairly successful season leading into that Alabama game, with Tennessee winning five of its first six games, with the only blemish coming on the road at Florida.

Quarterback Joe Milton has been a little up and down but has had plenty of weapons to rely on this season, particularly in the backfield. Running back Jaylen Wright has already run for more than 500 yards, while Jabari Small has topped the 300-yard mark.

Both players have also been used in the passing game on occasion, though the Volunteers also have a trio of special receivers in Squirrel White, Ramel Keyton and Bru McCoy. McCoy is currently out while dealing with a fractured ankle, but the others offer some upside.

White, in particular, has shown himself to be an explosive, quick-twitch threat.

On the other side, Kentucky also got out to a 5-1 start through the first six games, but the Wildcats suffered back-to-back losses to Georgia and Missouri going into their bye week. At 5-2, Kentucky is just looking to stack wins to earn a quality bowl appearance.

Quarterback Devin Leary has been OK so far this year, throwing for 1,377 yards and 14 touchdowns, but with seven interceptions.

It’s tailback Ray Davis that has done much of the damage offensively for the Wildcats, going for 781 yards and eight touchdowns in the first seven games of the season.

In the passing game, the trip of Tayvion Robinson (338 yards), Dane Key (282 yards) and Barion Brown (276 yards) have been the primary pass-catchers.

Tennessee has won the last two meetings in the series, with the last Kentucky win coming in 2020. The Volunteers have won nine of the last 11 in the series, as well as 35 of the last 38.

The early point spread indicates this one could be a little closer than many of those.

The two programs are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday with a national broadcast on ESPN.