Home › Game Previews › NCAAF › November 2026 › Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers

NCAAF · November 7, 2026

Kentucky Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers Preview & Odds — November 7, 2026

Kentucky Wildcats

6-1

Quarterback Kenny Minchey

Tennessee Volunteers

5-2

Quarterback George MacIntyre

Saturday, November 7 · 6:15 PM ET

UKOffense2026 regular season to dateTENN

66th+0.066

EPA/play

+0.08853rd

26th50.1%

Success %

47.4%60th

35th31.1

PPG

28.948th

UKDefenseTENN

53rd+0.008

EPA/play allowed

−0.07024th

80th47.6%

Success % allowed

43.9%31st

74th26.4

Opp PPG

17.319th

UKRecent formTENN

Wvs South Alabama 45-21W@ South Carolina 35-34Wvs LSU 35-34W@ Oklahoma 21-13Wvs Vanderbilt 34-17

Resultsoldest to newest

Lvs Texas 17-20Wvs Auburn 24-14W@ Arkansas 24-17Wvs Alabama 26-10L@ South Carolina 24-27

7-1

Record

6-2

7-1

ATS

4-4

5-3

Over–under

2-6

UKHome and roadseason to dateTENN

4-1

Home record

4-1

3-0

Road record

2-1

4-1

Home ATS

3-2

3-0

Road ATS

1-2

3-2

Home O/U

0-5

2-1

Road O/U

2-1

UKLast 10 gamesTENN

Game by game

7-1

Last 8

6-2

+65

Net points

+128

Top third of the leagueMiddle thirdBottom thirdBar = league rank (full = 1st)

Rest & travelrest and travel

UKRest & travelTENN

14 days

Days of rest

14 days

146 mi236 km · straight-line from home arena (estimate)

Travel to the game

Home

Venue

Neyland Stadium

About these numbers

2026 regular season to date, captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (138 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.

Last five results this season, oldest to newest. Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Against-the-spread (ATS) and over–under records use the consensus closing line.

Margin of each of the last 8 games this season, oldest to newest (gold = won). Hover a bar for the score margin.

Distance is a straight-line estimate from each team's home arena, not the team's actual itinerary; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game this season (7 = a normal week); preseason games do not count. Schedule facts only: no fatigue adjustment is applied.

Matchup preview

Kentucky (6-1) visits Tennessee (5-2) on Saturday, November 7 at 6:15 PM ET.

Kentucky has the 66th-ranked offense by EPA per play (expected points added per snap) and the 53rd-ranked defense (ranks among the 138 teams with play-by-play data). Meanwhile, Tennessee has the 53rd-ranked offense and the 24th-ranked defense. When Kentucky has the ball, a 66th-ranked offense (+0.066 EPA per play) meets a 24th-ranked defense (−0.070 allowed); when Tennessee has it, a 53rd-ranked offense (+0.088) meets a 53rd-ranked defense (+0.008 allowed).

By success rate (the share of plays that gain expected points), the Kentucky offense is at 50.1% (26th) and the Tennessee offense at 47.4% (60th). Kentucky scores 31.1 points per game (35th) and allows 26.4 (74th); Tennessee scores 28.9 (48th) and allows 17.3 (19th).

Kentucky is 7-1 and 7-1 against the spread; its last game was a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt. Tennessee is 6-2 and 4-4 against the spread; its last game was a 27-24 loss to South Carolina.

Tennessee is a 6.5-point favorite at home against Kentucky. The spread opened at Tennessee -5.5. The total is 50.5, up from 49.5 at the open. After removing the vig, the moneyline (Kentucky +200, Tennessee -245) prices Kentucky at 32% and Tennessee at 68%.

Built from public team and player data; ranks are league-wide and update daily until kickoff.

Market

Odds and line movement

Spreadmoved 1

OpenTennessee -5.5 (-109)
Kentucky +5.5 (-113)

NowTennessee -6.5 (-113)
Kentucky +6.5 (-109)

Totalup 1

Open49.5 (o -110 / u -110)

Now50.5 (o -110 / u -110)

Moneyline

OpenKentucky +170 35%
Tennessee -210 65%

NowKentucky +200 32%
Tennessee -245 68%

Consensus of US sportsbooks. The Now column updates from our odds board. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.

Best available prices on Nov 5

Kentucky +6.5+108Novig
Tennessee -6.5-110FanDuel
Over 50.5-101ProphetX
Under 50.5-105Hard Rock
Kentucky+213Novig
Tennessee-217Novig

Members

G&W Line

G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics

Projected score

Spread

Total

Win %

Unlock every game with Analytics — $44.44/mo See today’s free game →

Matchup

Players to watch

Kentucky

QB · Kenny Minchey

Attempts232
Completion %69.0%22nd
Passing yards1,75583rd
Yards per attempt7.6102nd
TD–INT14–1

Leading rusher (RB) · CJ Baxter

Rushing yards48782nd
Season line88 carries, 487 yds, 8 TD

Leading receiver (WR) · Kenny Darby

Receiving yards50771st
Season line38 catches, 507 yds, 3 TD

Leading tackler (LB) · Grant Godfrey

Tackles7227th

Tennessee

QB · George MacIntyre

Attempts103
Completion %67.0%43rd
Passing yards728244th
Yards per attempt7.1146th
TD–INT2–3

Leading rusher (RB) · DeSean Bishop

Rushing yards9576th
Season line171 carries, 957 yds, 11 TD

Leading receiver (WR) · Mike Matthews

Receiving yards52864th
Season line34 catches, 528 yds, 3 TD

Leading tackler (LB) · Amare Campbell

Tackles52181st

Season passing totals from public box scores, captured before kickoff. Ranks among the 264 quarterbacks with at least 60 attempts. Rushing, receiving and tackle leaders: season totals captured November 4, 5:38 a.m. ET; ranks among FBS players.

Success by situation

Situation	Kentucky	Tennessee
Early-down success rateKentucky offense vs Tennessee defense	47.8%15th	41.8%53rd
Early-down success rateTennessee offense vs Kentucky defense	44.2%91st	42.1%81st
3rd-down conversion rateKentucky offense vs Tennessee defense	34.9%109th	32.1%11th
3rd-down conversion rateTennessee offense vs Kentucky defense	50.0%128th	38.7%87th
Explosive play rateKentucky offense vs Tennessee defense	6.2%88th	5.5%30th
Explosive play rateTennessee offense vs Kentucky defense	5.7%37th	5.0%126th
Pass rateshare of plays that are passes or sacks	50.9%63rd-highest	41.4%126th-highest

On 3rd down Kentucky converts 34.9% (109th) against a Tennessee defense allowing 32.1% (11th).

On 3rd down Tennessee converts 38.7% (87th) against a Kentucky defense allowing 50.0% (128th).

2026 regular season before kickoff, from play-by-play with garbage time removed; ranks among the 138 teams in the play-by-play data (defense: 1st = allows the least). Success = a play that gains expected points.

Coaching staff

Staff	Kentucky	Tennessee
Head coach	Will Stein	Josh Heupel
Tenureat this school	1st season	6th season
Record at schoolthis season included, as of the date below	7–1	51–22
Career recordas an FBS head coach	7–1	79–30
Offensive coordinator	Joe Sloan	Joey Halzle
Defensive coordinator	Jay Bateman	Jim Knowles

Staff list as of November 3, 6:50 a.m. ET.

Head-to-head

The teams have met 5 times since 2021: Kentucky won 0 and Tennessee 5.

Date	Score	Line	Total
Oct 25, 2025	Tennessee 56, Kentucky 34 Tennessee won
Nov 2, 2024	Kentucky 18, Tennessee 28 Tennessee won
Oct 28, 2023	Tennessee 33, Kentucky 27 Tennessee won
Oct 29, 2022	Kentucky 6, Tennessee 44 Tennessee won
Nov 6, 2021	Tennessee 45, Kentucky 42 Tennessee won

Meetings since 2021, most recent first. Line and total are the consensus closing numbers where line history is available.

Result

After the final: score vs the closing line, Drive X-Ray and the graded official play, if there was one, appear here on this same page.

Teams