Tennessee football is coming off its Bye Week after back-to-back emotional rivalry wins over Florida and Alabama. The Vols won both games by a total of 13 points but have since had a week off to rest and prepare for Kentucky.
The Wildcats come into this game struggling to find the end zone consistently while Tennessee's defense is one of the best in the country, limiting their opponents to less than 20 points in every game so far this season.
Meanwhile, Tennessee's offense found itself in the second half of the Alabama game. The Vols have been shutout in three straight first halves, so Josh Heupel and the Vols will look to get back to scoring early and often against Kentucky.
Turnovers on the first drive have taken any Tennessee momentum before the Vols could get started in recent games. Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the Vols offense will need to eliminate those mistakes if they plan to make a run at the College Football Playoff.
Tennessee only has one loss on the season which means they are still in Playoff contention. Some national media members believe the Vols won't make the CFP but if Tennessee wins out they have a strong case to make the Playoff and host the first round in Neyland Stadium.
Matchup History
The Border Battle is more than just a rivalry game. It's a war between two teams, two states that used to be for one of the coolest rivalry trophies in college football: the beer barrell. The barrell has since been retired but the rivalry is still alive and well with Tennessee dominating dominating the series.
The rivalry began in 1893 with a 56-0 Kentucky win. Tennessee didn't have a coach at the time but they did when they met a second time in 1899. The series was largely dominated by Kentucky until General Robert Neyland was named Tennessee's head coach. Neyland never lost to Kentucky and led the Vols to 29-11 series lead.
Kentucky made the series competitive in the 1950s and 1960s but since then, it his been virtually all Vols in the win column.
Tennessee and Kentucky have played in 119 games and the Vols have won 84 of those, including 36 of the last 40 matchups. The Wildcats have won three games since 2010 but none since Josh Heupel was named Tennessee’s head coach.
Betting Lines
Tennessee is a 17.5-point favorite at the time of this writing based on Fanduel Sportsbook odds. The over/under is set at 45.5 points, which means Vegas could be expecting Tennessee to win with an estimated score of 31-14.
Availability Report
Kentucky has reported at least a dozen players will be out on the updated SEC Availability Report including former Tennessee offensive lineman Gerald Mincey. Defensive backs DJ Waller Jr and Nasir Addison are probable with defensive linemen Deone Walker and Tavion Gadson.
Nothing has changed for Tennessee in terms of availability. Defensive back Jourdan Thomas, linebackers Keenan Pili and Edwin Spillman remain the only players ruled out. Defensive lineman Caleb Herring is questionable and offensive lineman William Satterwhite is probable.
Kickoff and Broadcast
Tennessee and Kentucky are scheduled to kickoff at 7:45 PM ET on the SEC Network. You can listen to the game on the Vol Radio Network or check out our full streaming guide for the game. Tom Hart will be on the call, joined by Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic will report from the sidelines.