Tennessee vs. Kentucky prediction, pick, odds, spread: Volunteers, Wildcats meet in rare top-25 matchup — SkimNews
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- Tennessee Volunteers (No. 13) host No. 6 Kentucky at 6:15 p.m. ET on Nov. 7 at Neyland Stadium on ESPN in their fourth top-25 meeting; the prior simultaneous top-25 games came in 1950 and 1951, and Tennessee won the 2022 meeting in a blowout.
- Kentucky Wildcats opened at 7-1 under first-year coach Will Stein, whose transfer-portal additions, particularly quarterback Kenny Minchey and the offensive line, clicked immediately; four games remain in Kentucky’s College Football Playoff pursuit.
- Tennessee Volunteers are rebounding from a three-point loss to South Carolina and pursuing a second top-10 win to boost their CFP rankings; their defense and running game are described as playoff-caliber, while the passing attack remains the open question for Josh Heupel.
- Kentucky Wildcats rank first in the SEC and fourth nationally with a +13 turnover margin and have gone three straight games without a turnover, the first such streak since 2013; Tennessee has forced 14 turnovers in eight games.
- DeSean Bishop has 957 rushing yards, sixth nationally, and 12 rushing touchdowns, tied for ninth, while averaging 29 carries and 159 yards over his last four games; only one team has effectively shut him down.
- SportsLine simulated every Week 10 game 10,000 times and compiled an 80-77 record on top-rated college football picks this season; its model picks Tennessee to cover -6.5, citing the first night game at Neyland Stadium and a late separation behind Bishop.
Why it matters: Kentucky owns the +13 turnover margin, first in the SEC, while Tennessee has forced 14 turnovers in eight games. Their Nov. 7 matchup places the Wildcats’ three-game turnover streak against the Volunteers’ defense, with the winner one step closer to the College Football Playoff.
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