Tennessee opens as road favorite for Saturday night's game at Kentucky
Tennessee football on Sunday opened as a four-point favorite for Saturday night’s game at Kentucky, according to Circa Sports. The total opened at 51.5. It will be a 7 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff at Kroger Field in Lexington and will be televised by ESPN.
The Vols on Saturday led 20-7 at halftime against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, but got outscored 27-0 in the second half of the 34-20 loss.
Kentucky has an open date after losing to Missouri 38-21 in Lexington on Saturday night. Tennessee beat Texas A&M 20-13 on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee is 4-3 against the spread through seven games, with other covers against South Carolina (-11.5), UTSA (-23.5) and Virginia (-27.5). The Vols failed to cover against Austin Peay (-48.5), at Florida (-5.5) and at Alabama (+8.5).
Kentucky, which had an open date on Saturday, is 4-3 against the spread this season, covering against Ball State (-25.5), Akron (-25.5), Vanderbilt (-13) and Florida (-1.5) while failing to cover against Eastern Kentucky (-34.5), Georgia (+15) and Missouri (-1.5).
Tennessee at Kentucky: How To Watch
Kickoff Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Kroger Field (61,000)
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN App or WatchESPN.com
Radio: WIVK-FM 107.7 and WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast (Bob Kesling – play-by-play – Pat Ryan, analyst – Brent Hubbs, analyst – Jayson Swain sideline) can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.
The Series
Tennessee is 83-26-9 all time against Kentucky in a series that dates back to 1893. The Vol have won the last two, winning 44-6 at Neyland Stadium last season and 45-42 at Kentucky in 2021. The Wildcats won 34-7 at Tennessee in 2020, the final season under former head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
The Vols won 26 in a row over Kentucky between 1985 and 2010, before the Wildcats snapped the streak with a 10-7 win over the Vols in Lexington in 2011. Tennessee bounced back with five straight wins, then lost 29-26 at Kentucky in 2017 in the final season under Butch Jones.
Kentucky’s win in Knoxville in 2020 was its first in Neyland Stadium since 1984. The Vols won 11 in a row from 1965 to 1975, before Kentucky won four of nine meetings between 1976 and 1984.
This season started with five straight Kentucky wins, with the Cats beating Ball State (44-14), Eastern Kentucky (28-17), Akron (35-3), Vanderbilt (45-28) and Florida (33-14). UK has lost back-to-back games against No. 1 Georgia (51-13) and Missouri (38-21).
