Tennessee Has Dominated Kentucky at Home For Over Three Decades

The No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers are 17-0 SU in their last 17 home games against Kentucky and are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 home games against the Wildcats. The Volunteers will try to extend their long home winning streak against the Wildcats with another victory Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Early bettors jumped on the Wildcats as 6.5-point road underdogs, betting Tennessee down to a 5.5-point favorite at home. The total opened and remained steady at 49.5 points early in the week. The UNDER is 8-2 in Kentucky’s last 10 games on the road.

Kentucky News & Notes

Kentucky finally found its way into the win column last week with an impressive defensive effort against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. After dropping to 0-2 SU and ATS with a 29-13 loss to Auburn and a 42-41 overtime loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Wildcats easily covered the spread as 2.5-point favorites against the Bulldogs with a 24-2 win. The Wildcats defense forced six turnovers and held Mississippi State’s offense off the board.

On the downside, the Wildcats were terrible on offense in the win, amassing only 157 total yards in what could have been a much bigger blowout. Senior quarterback Terry Wilson is the team’s leading rusher with 221 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, but as a passer he only has 463 passing yards and two passing touchdowns so far in 2020.

Tennessee News & Notes

Tennessee got its first true test of the 2020 season and failed to rise to the challenge in a 44-21 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday. The Volunteers actually led the game 21-17 at the half after quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and receiver Josh Palmer connected for two touchdowns in the second quarter. But the second half was all Georgia as the Bulldogs made some adjustments in the locker room and outscored the Volunteers 27-0 in the second half.

Now the Volunteers will need to avoid overlooking the Wildcats this week. After playing a hard-fought game against the Bulldogs last Saturday and looking ahead to a showdown with No. 2 Alabama in two weeks, this game against Kentucky could be a classic letdown spot if Tennessee isn’t careful.

Betting Pick: UNDER 49.5

As mentioned above, don’t be surprised if the Volunteers produce a sluggish effort in this one. But even if they do, is Kentucky’s offense good enough to take advantage of it? The play is on the UNDER as Kentucky’s defense should once again carry the team while the offense struggles.