Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky Preview, Odds, and Predictions
534. 22-8, 12-5. 528. CBS. Saturday, March 9. . 4 PM ET. Tennessee vs Kentucky (03/09). 24-6, 14-3
The Tennessee Volunteers secured its first outright SEC Championship since 2008 with its win over South Carolina on Wednesday. The Vols will now have to reset their focus ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats coming to town.
Tennessee comes into this game as 7.5-point favorites, according to Fanduel. The over/under currently sits at 167.5 at the time I am writing this article, which means Vegas is expecting another heavyweight fight between two SEC powerhouses.
The Vols won the first matchup between these two teams in historic fashion. The Vols did something very few have done before: score 100+ points in Rupp Arena. Tennessee took care of business and brought their best on the offensive end of the court in their 103-96 win over Kentucky in Lexington.
Tennessee is coming off its third straight win against a ranked conference opponent. Their matchup against Kentucky will cap off the four-game stretch against the best teams in the SEC and their final top-15 matchup of the regular season.
Kentucky is also coming off a four-game winning streak, although their schedule has been less challenging. The Wildcats beat Alabama by 22 points two weeks ago and then rattled off three straight wins against Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt.
Tennessee has secured the one-seed in the SEC Tournament, so there isn’t much to play for besides pride and honor, while Kentucky is still competing for the two-seed in the SEC Tournament.
The Vols will continue to look to Dalton Knecht for a lot of the offensive production, which allows Knecht to continue building his resume for National Player of the Year.
It will also be important for Jonas Aidoo to continue dominating down low. He might not have the best stats night in and night out, but his production won’t necessarily always show up on the stat sheet.
The same goes for Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi. Their leadership, defensive pressure, and offensive awareness will not show up on a stat sheet but they are big reasons why the Vols were able to win the SEC Championship, with and without Knecht on the court.
dark. Next. This year is Rick Barnes’s best chance and biggest challenge. This year is Rick Barnes’s best chance and biggest challenge
Tennessee will look to cap off a great SEC regular season with a Senior Day win over their rival, while the Wildcats continue competing in-conference for seeding in the conference tournament.
Tennessee
Alex Golesh hires former Tennessee analyst as Auburn’s coordinator
Alex Golesh was introduced as Auburn’s head coach on Dec. 1. He served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach from 2021-22.
Golesh announced the hiring of Jacob Bronowski as Auburn’s special teams coordinator. He served as the Vols’ special teams analyst in 2021 under head coach Josh Heupel. Bronowski was also under Heupel at UCF in 2020 as special teams quality control.
“His track record is outstanding,” Golesh said of Bronowski. “He developed multiple national award contenders, including a Lou Groza Award winner, and has led some of the top special teams units in the country.
“I saw up close when we worked together before that coach Bronowski understands that special teams can be a championship difference-maker, and he’s proven he can develop elite specialists. He brings exactly the attention to detail and relentless work ethic we need in our program.”
Auburn will play at Tennessee on Oct. 3, 2026.
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Tennessee
Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates
Tennessee football will host Lane Kiffin, Alex Golesh and possibly Arch Manning at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.
UT’s opponents for the next four seasons were previously announced. On Dec. 11, the SEC released the dates of every conference game, providing the full picture of the 2026 schedule.
Game times and television designations will be announced later.
Texas will make its first trip ever to Tennessee on Sept. 26. Manning, the Longhorns quarterback, is expected to return for the 2026 season rather than enter the NFL draft. If so, he’ll face the Vols on the home turf of his uncle, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.
Golesh, the former UT offensive coordinator, is Auburn’s new coach. He will return to Knoxville for an Oct. 3 game.
Alabama will play at Tennessee on Oct. 17, continuing their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.
Kiffin, the polarizing former UT coach, is now coaching LSU after bolting Ole Miss after the regular season ended. He will return to Knoxville for a Nov. 21 game. Three of the five SEC teams visiting Neyland Stadium will have a first-year coach, including Kentucky’s Will Stein on Nov. 7.
Tennessee will play Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as annual SEC opponents in the league’s new nine-game conference schedule. Its other six opponents will rotate each season. That means each school will play every SEC opponent home and away every four years.
Tennessee will have one open week on Oct. 31 and thus won’t play on Halloween.
Here is Tennessee’s week-to-week schedule for the 2026 season.
Tennessee football 2026 schedule
- Sept. 5: Furman
- Sept. 12: At Georgia Tech
- Sept. 19: Kennesaw State
- Sept. 26: Texas*
- Oct. 3: Auburn*
- Oct. 10: At Arkansas*
- Oct. 17: Alabama*
- Oct. 24: At South Carolina*
- Oct. 31: Open
- Nov. 7: Kentucky*
- Nov. 14: At Texas A&M*
- Nov. 21: LSU*
- Nov. 28: At Vanderbilt*
*SEC game
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Tennessee
Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee
Tennessee announced the signing of graduate student Dragos Cazacu on Wednesday. He is from Constanta, Romania.
“Dragos is someone we believe can translate all of his professional experience and success seamlessly to high level college tennis,” Tennessee associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He’s a very mature young man who has finished university in Romania, so we know the type of student athlete we are getting. Winning ITF Pro Circuit titles, all while doing his degree back home shows he will transition nicely to Tennessee in January.”
Cazacu competed on the ATP Tour prior to Tennessee. His highest ranking was No. 763 in singles and No. 495 in doubles.
Tennessee will begin its spring men’s tennis season versus ETSU on Jan. 9, 2026 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. SEC competition will begin Feb. 21, 2026 at Kentucky.
The Vols’ home opener in SEC play is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026 versus Auburn at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
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