Kentucky opens as big road underdog vs. Tennessee

This likely won’t shock you, but the folks in Las Vegas aren’t too high on Kentucky’s chances against a Top 10 opponent on the road.

The Wildcats have opened up as two-touchdown underdogs for next Saturday’s showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville, according to FanDuel. The line currently has Tennessee as a 15.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 44.5. Kentucky is coming off a 24-10 home loss against Auburn, dropping the Wildcats to a 3-5 record (1-5 SEC).

Taking down a Top 10 team in a road environment will be no easy task for Kentucky, but there is a precedent of it happening as recently as this season. The Wildcats also went into Oxford as 15.5-point underdogs in Week 5 and left with a 20-17 victory. Will we see history repeat itself against the Volunteers?

Kentucky is 4-4-0 against the spread this season with a 1-0-0 mark as the road underdog. Meanwhile, Tennessee, which will come into this matchup off a bye week, is 5-2-0 against the spread with a 2-1-0 record as the home favorite. ESPN Analytics projects a 90.9 percent chance of victory for the Volunteers. ESPN’s numbers also give UK just a 4.8 percent chance to reach the six-win threshold this season.

Tennessee will host Kentucky with a 6-1 record on the season and a 3-1 mark in SEC play. The Vols, ranked No. 7 in the country ahead of Sunday’s national poll updates, most recently took down Alabama at home 24-17.

Kickoff at Neyland Stadium will begin at 7:45 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 2 on the SEC Network.