No. 13 Tennessee has another big one this weekend, set to take on No. 6 Kentucky in Knoxville. Neyland Stadium has famously been a near-impossible place for the Wildcats to win, but a new era has that fanbase believing. Will Stein has Kentucky at 7-1, sitting in a great place to snag a spot in the College Football Playoff — perhaps even a spot in the SEC Championship game.
Tennessee is coming off of a loss at South Carolina, one that could really hurt looking back. The Volunteers stormed back to take
control of that game, only to completely fall apart late and lose on a last second field goal. The loss drops Tennessee to 6-2 overall, putting them in a spot where they likely will need to win out.
The oddsmakers think Tennessee get the first of those needed four wins this weekend. According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Tennessee is a 6.5 point favorite this weekend over the ‘Cats. The total sits at 50.5.
Kentucky has won just one time (2020) in Neyland Stadium since 1984.
Kentucky’s lone loss this season came back in week two against Alabama, which they lost to in Lexington. Stein’s team then sprung an upset at the time, beating Texas A&M on the road. Dramatic wins over South Carolina, LSU and Oklahoma followed.
The Wildcats have won with solid play from Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey, who has thrown 14 touchdowns against just one interception. In fact, Kentucky has a turnover margin of +13 for the season, which ranks inside the top five nationally.
“Their defense has created a bunch of turnovers as well, a bunch of picks, gotten their hands on the ball,” Josh Heupel said this week. “That’s been a big factor in their ability to win in this league, but finish games the right way. Defensively we’ve got to control the line of scrimmage. You’ve got to get them into third-and-long situations. You’ve got to get them off the field. There’s a lot of eye-candy – shift, trade, motion – before the snap, so communication (at) all three levels of the defense, playing in-sync will be critical in this one, too.”
Kickoff is set for 6:15 p.m. ET. ESPN will have the call.
