Tennessee is in rare territory as a touchdown favorite on the road at Oklahoma
There will be a few firsts on Saturday when No. 6 Tennessee goes to No. 15 Oklahoma. The Sooners will play their first SEC game after joining the league officially on July 1. Josh Heupel will be making his first trip back to Norman since Bob Stoops fired him in 2014.
And then there’s the point spread.
Tennessee on Monday night was a 7.0-point road favorite at Oklahoma. According to ESPN’s Eli Lederman, who cited ESPN Stats & Info, it will be the first time time Oklahoma has been a touchdown home underdog since Nov. 21, 1998 vs Texas Tech.
A ranked Oklahoma team, Lederman added, hasn’t been a home dog of more than 4 points since at least 1978.
Tennessee is a touchdown favorite at Oklahoma in Week 4.
— Eli Lederman (@ByEliLederman) September 16, 2024
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, its the first time the Sooners are a touchdown home underdog since Nov. 21, 1998 vs Texas Tech. A ranked Oklahoma team hasn't been a home dog of more than 4 points since at least 1978.
Tennessee (3-0) and Oklahoma (3-0) are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time start Saturday at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast by ABC.
The Vols back in the spring opened as a 5.5-point underdog when early lines were released. It flipped to Tennessee as a 2.5-point favorite late last week, before moving to 7.5 points on Sunday morning.
Tennessee has been favored on the road by at least a touchdown just 13 times since 2006, with an 8-5 record against the spread in those games. Six of the 13 games were against Vanderbilt (2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022). Two were at South Carolina (2016, 2022) and two were at Memphis (2006, 2010). The others were at Kentucky (2015), UCLA (2008) and Mississippi State (2007).
Tennessee 3-0, Oklahoma 2-1 against the spread this season
The Vols are 3-0 against the spread this season. They were 38.5-point favorite for the 69-3 win over Chattanooga in the season opener on August 31. They were 9.0-point favorites against North Carolina State in the Duke’s May Classic in Charlotte last week, where they coasted to a 51-10 win. They covered a 49.5-point spread against Kent State before the end of the second quarter Saturday night, leading 65-0 at halftime on the way to a 71-0 win.
Oklahoma since 1995 is 4-6 overall and 5-5 against the spread as a home underdog. The Sooners haven’t been a home dog since September 2016, when Ohio State won 45-25 in Norman as a 1.5-point favorite.
Nebraska was a 3.0-point favorite at Oklahoma in 2000 and Texas A&M was a 4.0-point favorite in 1999. Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 20-17 when the Red Raiders were a 7.0-point favorite on November 21, 1998.
Oklahoma is 2-1 against the spread this season, covering a 42.5-point line in a 51-3 win over Temple in Week 1 and a 12.5-point line in a 34-19 win over Tulane on Saturday. The Sooners beat Houston 16-12 as a 27.5-point favorite on September 7.
