Tennessee Volunteers (5-2) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (2-4)
October 25, 2025 7:45 pm EDT
The Line: Kentucky Wildcats +9.5; Over/Under: 52.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats meet Saturday in college football action from Kroger Field at Commonwealth Stadium. Here’s a Kentucky vs Tennessee prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Kentucky vs Tennessee pick.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
The Vols kicked off the season with a couple of blowout victories, taking out Syracuse and East Tennessee State in that pair. Tennessee would lose a heartbreaker at home 44-41 versus Georgia in game three, but then got back on track with wins over UAB, Mississippi State and Arkansas in the next trio. In the win over the Razorbacks, the Vols scored 10 unanswered points in the third on the way to a 34-31 win. The offense came up with 485 total yards along the way but went just 2-of-9 on third-down conversion attempts. The 10 penalties for 78 yards didn’t help the cause either, but the defense did pick up three lost fumbles.
In Saturday’s primetime showdown versus Alabama, the Volunteers managed to put up points in each of the final three quarters—but gave up points in all four quarters on the other side, including 16 in the second alone. The end result was a 37-20 road loss. QB Joey Aguilar went 28-of-44 for 268 yards, one TD and one pick, while leading rusher DeSean Bishop had 14 carries for 123 yards and two scores in a nice outing. Braylon Staley added 10 receptions for a team-high 92 yards and a touchdown in the losing road effort.
Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview
Over on the Kentucky side, they posted an opener win over Toledo that was probably a little too close for comfort—especially in a home outing. The Wildcats lost to Ole Miss in game two, but only by a touchdown. Game three was a blowout win over Eastern Michigan, then came consecutive losses versus South Carolina and Georgia—neither being close. In the loss to the Bulldogs the Wildcats gave up 425 yards total and 9-of-12 on third-down tries. The Kentucky offense went just 3-of-11 on third downs themselves and had a couple of turnovers.
Matched up against Texas last weekend, the Wildcats went into the fourth quarter down 10-3 and forced overtime. By the final horn however, Kentucky ended up with a tough 16-13 loss at home. QB Cutter Boley was 31-of-39 for 258 yards and one interception while also leading the rush with 14 totes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Seth McGowan also had 14 rushes for 45 yards, and led the receivers with seven grabs for 68 yards along the way.
Tennessee Volunteers @ Kentucky Wildcats Betting Trends: Week 9
Kentucky Wildcats Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 9, Steven Soles Jr. leads the Southeastern Conference for forced fumbles (2) this season.
Tennessee Volunteers Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 9, Chris Brazzell II leads the Southeastern Conference for receiving touchdowns (7) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Kentucky ranks 132nd among FBS teams for average point differential in second quarters this season (-6.2).
- Kentucky ranks 125th among FBS teams for Q2 opponent points per game this season (11.2).
- Tennessee has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of three points or less of any FBS team this season (1).
- Tennessee ranks 1st among FBS teams for Q1 points per game this season (14.3).
Kentucky vs Tennessee Prediction
I’ll go with Kentucky, but you could call this one either way. The Wildcats stood tall against a very good Texas team last weekend, holding the Longhorns to just 179 total yards, 47 rush yards, 3.3 yards per play, eight first downs and 5-of-16 on third-down tries. The offense couldn’t cash in on their 395 yards and 26 first downs on the other side though, losing a tight one despite holding the ball for 39:23 of game time. Kentucky really needs to get that unit going; they’ve scored fewer than 15 points in three straight games (all losses) now.
As for Tennessee, they played a pretty sloppy game versus Alabama, notching 10 penalties for 66 yards. The offense struggled on third downs as well with a spotty 5-of-13 success rate. On defense the Vols gave up 373 yards, 6.1 yards per play and 23 first downs. The defeat snapped a three-game win streak, but this is a great opportunity to get back into the victory groove. Oklahoma is looming on November 1 though, so the Volunteers need to buckle down and not overlook this outing. I like Kentucky cover-wise but it’s a coin flip.
