Kentucky football opens as slight underdog against Tennessee

The folks in Las Vegas are calling for a close one when Tennessee comes to Lexington next weekend.

According to the FanDuel Sportsbooks, Kentucky has opened as a 3.5-point underdog against the Volunteers with the over/under set at 50.5. Tennessee is coming off a tough 34-20 loss to Alabama on Saturday while the Wildcats had the week off. Kickoff at Kroger Field is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

So far this season, Kentucky (5-2) is 4-3-0 against the spread, failing to cover the spread in both of the most recent losses to Georgia and Missouri. UK also failed to cover the spread when they hosted Eastern Kentucky in Week 2. Meanwhile, Tennessee is also 4-3-0 against the spread this season and is 0-2-0 away from home. Over the last 10 meetings between these two schools, the Volunteers are 8-2-0 against the spread.

In the latest national poll updates, Kentucky continues to receive votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls. The Wildcats now sit at 33rd (down one spot) in the AP Poll with two points and 32nd (up four spots) in the Coaches Poll with 10 points. Meanwhile, Tennessee checks in at No. 21 in the AP and No. 20 in the Coaches following their loss to Alabama.

Looking at ESPN’s Matchup Predictor, the analytics are giving Tennessee a 70.6 percent chance to beat Kentucky. ESPN’s Football Power Index is much higher on the Vols (No. 16) than the ‘Cats (No. 44).