The Kentucky Wildcats (1-2 overall, 1-2 SEC) and Tennessee Volunteers (2-1, 2-1) lock horns at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville for a noon ET kickoff Saturday (on SEC Network). Below, we analyze the Kentucky-Tennessee college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
The Volunteers are the No. 17 team in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Kentucky at Tennessee: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 7 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Kentucky +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Tennessee -218 (bet $218 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Kentucky +6 (-110) | Tennessee -6 (-110)
- Over/Under: 45.5 (O: -115 | U: -106)
Kentucky at Tennessee: Three things to know
- The Wildcats didn’t allow any offensive points in a 24-2 win over Mississippi State last week, which was a stark contrast from the 42 they allowed the previous week to Ole Miss in an overtime loss.
- Kentucky’s rushing defense has been on fire, yielding just 83.3 yards per game to rank eighth, but it’s allowing 276.0 passing yards to check in 57th in the nation.
- The Volunteers are 7-1 ATS in the past eight meetings against the Wildcats, and 5-1 ATS in the past six home games against Kentucky.
Get some action on this game or any other matchup with a legal, online bet at BetMGM in CO, IN, NJ and WV. Risk-free first bet up to $500, paid in free bets. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Kentucky at Tennessee: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Tennessee 34, Kentucky 23
Money line (ML)
Tennessee (-218) is a bit costly, and in a rivalry game anything can happen. Kentucky (+180) was a disaster in its only road game to date, a 29-13 loss at Auburn on Sept. 26. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
TENNESSEE -6 (-110) is only worth a small-unit play, but thankfully it’s on this side of a flat seven. The Vols covered their only home game of the season as 10-point favorites over Mizzou, 35-12 back on Oct. 3. Expect a Power T bounce back after Georgia handed the Vols their lunch last week.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 45.5 (-106) is the best bet of all. Kentucky’s defensive effort hadn’t been great until last week’s surprise. Tennessee has also been rather middling on defense, allowing 27.7 PPG to date. Last week with a similar total the Vols-Dawgs game hit the Over at 10:11 of the third quarter. Expect a similar situation here.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional college football coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama football / Auburn football / Florida football / Georgia football / LSU football / Michigan football / Michigan State football / Notre Dame football / Ohio State football / Oklahoma football / Tennessee football / Texas football / USC football / Wisconsin football
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]