Kentucky vs. Tennessee National Media Predictions

MrsTylerKSR

Kentucky desperately needs a win to get a special season back on track. Tennessee desperately needs a win over a ranked opponent to prove the Josh Heupel experiment is a success. Kentucky opened as a five-point favorite on Sunday, but the line now favors Tennessee by one. Is that due to the Cats’ lackluster showing vs. Mississippi State or Heupel’s high-powered offense? A roundup of national predictions shows mixed thoughts on Saturday’s game, with most experts leaning towards the Vols.

College GameDay

The Bear believes in the Big Blue. Chris Fallica included Kentucky +1 on his board of three picks. He was not the only one on the set who likes the Cats.

“I like Kentucky myself. I feel like after two straight losses, gonna show up in a bad mood, run the football and keep Hendon Hooker on the sideline,” said Kirk Herbstreit. “I like UK.”

“You always like UK,” David Pollack retorted.

“I do,” Herbie laughed.

ESPN Football Power Index, PickCenter

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli: Tennessee

I have a sneaking suspicion that Kentucky has been exposed. The Wildcats came into the 2021 season with a new offense that nobody had seen yet and the early results were impressive. In their first two games against ULM and Missouri, the offense had a success rate of 54.4% and averaged 3.2 points per possession. In six games since, they’ve had a success rate of 51.2% and averaged 1.84 points per possession. That’s a steep drop-off, and while the last two games against Georgia and Mississippi State had a lot to do with it, there were warning signs already.
Now, Tennessee’s offensive performances have fluctuated from week to week, too. There’s not a lot of consistency there, but this team can strike quickly and often. I have concerns about Kentucky’s offense if it gets behind and needs to chase points. This isn’t a great matchup for Kentucky, either, because even though Tennessee is a run-heavy offense, it passes the ball well, ranking 15th nationally with a passing efficiency of 159.2. Kentucky’s defense has done much better against the run than the pass, ranking 8th in defensive passing efficiency and 115th in defensive success rate against the pass. Tennessee 28, Kentucky 24 | Tennessee +1

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee: Tennessee

The Wildcats were demoralized by Mississippi State last week when they were officially eliminated from the SEC East race. That disappointment will continue this week when they are upset by a Tennessee team that has quickly become one of the more entertaining teams in the country. Quarterback Hendon Hooker will put up 350 total yards and the Wildcats offense won’t be able to keep up. Pick: Tennessee (+1)

Bruce Feldman: Tennessee

The Volunteers are much improved, even though they come into this game on a two-game losing skid. They did have an off week, though, and I think they can knock off Kentucky, which is coming off a loss against Mississippi State.
Tennessee 27, Kentucky 24
Pick: Tennessee

Stewart Mandel: Kentucky

The Vols have been the better football team for about the last month, even though the Ole Miss and Alabama games didn’t go their way. But Mark Stoops’ defense is designed to limit the types of explosive plays Tennessee has been creating. The Wildcats rank No. 3 nationally with just seven 30+ yarders allowed.
Kentucky 27, Tennessee 24
Pick: Kentucky

USA Today Staff

Athlon Sports: Tennessee

Kentucky will benefit from playing in front of a sellout crowd at Kroger Field. And the Wildcats will undoubtedly be fired up after last week’s embarrassing loss to Mississippi State. If the Wildcats can take care of the football, they should come out on top. But that’s a big “if” for a Kentucky team that has the worst turnover margin in the country at minus-12 (4 gained, 16 lost). UK also comes into this matchup pretty beat up on both sides of the football. Meanwhile, the Volunteers look to be in much better shape on the injury front following last week’s bye. Tennessee also is a better team than its record would suggest. It truly could go either way, but the Volunteers currently appear to have a slight edge over the dinged-up, turnover-prone Cats.
Prediction: Tennessee 28, Kentucky 24

247 Sports’ Chris Hummer: Tennessee

Interesting contrast of styles here. Kentucky plays slow. Tennessee plays at the fastest pace of any team in the country. So, this mostly comes down to Kentucky staying on the field and making the most of its possessions. Conversely, the Vols need to find a way to stop the run. Kentucky is the better team but I just have a feeling Tennessee will win coming off the bye. Josh Heupel gets a signature win early in his tenure. … Tennessee 28, Kentucky 27.

247 Sports’ Brad Crawford: Kentucky

Last week’s loss at Mississippi State was disappointing for the Wildcats, washing away hopes of an 11-1 finish and lock to play in the New Year’s Six. Kentucky can still get there, though. This is the toughest game left on a schedule that’s been relatively favorable by SEC standards. Tennessee got an extra week to prepare for a struggling unit offensively, but will it be enough to beat Kentucky at the line of scrimmage? This will be won in the trenches. … Kentucky 27, Tennessee 23.

The Sporting News: Kentucky

We are really tempted to take Tennessee here. The Volunteers had a bye week and have an offense that will test a Kentucky team coming off back-to-back road losses. The Wildcats, however, are 4-0 at home against FBS opponents and have covered in all of those games.
Pick: Kentucky wins 30-27 and COVERS the spread.