Tennessee heads into its final tune-up before SEC play with plenty of momentum, and the betting market is treating this one exactly like a mismatch. FanDuel opened the Vols as 35.5-point favorites over Kennesaw State on Sunday morning, with the over/under set at 60.5 combined points.
The money line doesn’t offer a wager on Tennessee, but Kennesaw State is listed at +5500.
The matchup also brings a familiar name back to Knoxville. Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack spent 2021-23 as Tennessee’s running backs coach under Josh Heupel. After that, he moved to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a season before taking over at KSU last year.
Mack’s first season with the Owls went well. In 2025, he led Kennesaw State to a CUSA title and a 10-4 overall record, including a 7-1 mark in league play. The four losses came at Wake Forest, against national champion Indiana, at Jacksonville State and to Western Michigan in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Kennesaw State is 1-1 so far in 2026. The Owls opened with a 47-0 win over West Georgia, then dropped a 31-17 home game to Georgia State this past Saturday.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is 2-0 after a home blowout of Furman and a road win at Georgia Tech last Saturday. The Vols will use this game as their last stop before a difficult nine-game SEC stretch.
Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network. It also begins a three-game homestand for Tennessee, with Texas set to visit next weekend for a “Checker Neyland” crowd and Auburn coming to town the weekend after.
In Other News...
Tennessee May Be Getting A Needed Defensive Line Boost Just In Time
Tennessees defensive front is starting to inch back toward the shape Josh Heupel wanted heading into the season, and the timing matters with Kennesaw State next on the schedule. Several linemen who were slowed by preseason and early-season injuries are expected to be much closer to full strength, giving the Vols a chance to deepen a position group that has been patched together at times.
Freshman tackle JJ Finch, who missed the previous game because of injury, is expected to be available, and he is part of a larger wave of returnees. Senior Daevin Hobbs and sophomores Isaiah Campbell and Ethan Utley have also dealt with injuries, but they are working their way back into the mix, which should give Tennessee more options up front as it tries to stabilize a key part of the defense. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Freshman Pecking Order Is Already Taking Shape
Tennessees season opener against Georgia Tech offered an early look at just how much youth the Volunteers are willing to lean on. The Vols used 11 true freshmen in the game, with three of them seeing the field on both offense and defense, a sign that first-year players are already threading themselves into the rotation in meaningful ways. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon got the start and finished 10 of 21 for 148 yards and two touchdowns, giving Tennessee a glimpse of its future while the staff continued sorting out who can handle the biggest roles right away.
Elsewhere, the freshman group showed up mostly on special teams, where a handful of newcomers earned their first real game action and others were still waiting for their chance. The broader takeaway is that Tennessees pecking order among its true freshmen is starting to come into focus, with some players clearly ahead of the pack and a few others still on the outside looking in. For a roster always trying to balance immediate production with long-term development, those early signals matter, especially this early in the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Telander Said What Tennessee Fans Wanted To Hear After That Win
Jeremiah Telander had plenty to smile about after Tennessees 45-24 road win over Georgia Tech, and he sounded like a player who understood exactly what it meant for the Vols to open the season that way. Coming off a game in which he logged three tackles, a sack and an interception, Telander spoke confidently about the overall performance, singled out the freshman quarterbacks contribution and noted the way the defense settled into its work as the night wore on.
Telander also addressed how his role on defense has shifted, a reminder that Tennessee is still sorting out pieces even in a victory that looked convincing on the scoreboard. He was quick to point to the progress the group has made, but he also left room for the cleaner execution the Vols will need as the schedule toughens and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]