Tennessee football handled business with its 56-24 win against UAB on Saturday. The Vols started the game hot and didn't slow down throughout the first half, putting up 42 against the Blazers by the halfway point.
Mississippi State also won its game on Saturday. The Bulldogs faced a first-half scare against Northern Illinois. The Huskies have built a reputation of being an upset in recent years, beating Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Boston College, BYU, and Nebraska all in the past ten years.
The Bulldogs survived NIU, though, pulling away in the second half to win 38-10 to secure a 4-0 start to the season. Now they prepare for their SEC opener as Tennessee comes to Starkville as a two-score favorite.
Tennessee opens as a 10.5-point favorite over Mississippi State, per the Fanduel Sportsbook as the lines officially open on Sunday. Fanduel has the Vols as big favorites with -385 odds to win outright.
Vegas also seemingly expects this game to be high scoring, with the over/under being set at 62.5 points. Both teams run a nearly identical offense, which could lead to a high-scoring affair or a modest scoring contest, as both defenses are familiar with the scheme.
Tennessee has fared pretty well in SEC play with a 16-9 overall record dating back to 2022, but the Vols have struggled to cover the spread in many of those games. Tennessee is 12-13 against the spread since the 2022 season.
The Vols have also had a mix of overs and unders hit during that same time. Of the Vols' 25 SEC games over the past three seasons and the start of 2025, the over has hit 12 times, while the under has hit 13 times.
Tennessee and Mississippi State are set to kick off at 4:15 PM ET on Saturday. The game will be on the SEC Network as a part of a big weekend for the SEC, with three other ranked matchups taking place in Week 5.