Paul Finebaum previews Tennessee, Kentucky in 2022 season

Tennessee and Kentucky are a pair of teams that will compete for the top of the SEC East this fall. The cross state rivals have had opposite runs over the last few seasons. Although Josh Heupel’s first season in Knoxville was a great success, it was one of the best ones in Knoxville in some time that provided some hope for their near future. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops has spent the last decade pulling the Wildcats from the gutter to win four straight bowl games. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says he expects both programs to continue that success in 2022.

Finebaum talked Vols versus Cats on Monday’s episode of ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’. When he was asked which program would be better next season, he gave the edge to Stoops’ club in Lexington.

“I think you probably have to go with Kentucky right now,” said Finebaum. “I still think Kentucky will have more wins than Tennessee but I still think Tennessee is heading towards a really good year.”

Kentucky finished second in the SEC East with a 10-3 record in 2021. They ranked as high as 11th in the AP Poll last season and ended with a Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa. In Knoxville, the Volunteers finished third behind the Wildcats at 7-6. They lost in the Music City Bowl to Purdue but finished seventh in the nation with an average of 39.3 points per game.

Finebaum’s prediction went with Kentucky but he did have reservations about how they’d reach their win total. Finebaum even noted the Wildcats’ recent losses to Tennessee, including their 45-42 loss to the Volunteers at Kroger Field last November. That remains his lone reservation about Kentucky next season.

“That doesn’t mean (Kentucky) will win the right games. That’s my only beef with Mark Stoops. He has managed to win 10 games but he’s lost to Tennessee a few times in critical situations,” said Finebaum. “I know he beat Florida but how many times has that Florida game gone the other way? So that’s always the hold your breath (thing).”

Both teams will have their chance to make a run at the division title. While Heupel’s team has the firepower, the ESPN commentator is riding with Stoops’ consistency over the last six seasons. They’ll both kickoff in the first days of September but will see each other on the gridiron on October 29th in Neyland Stadium.