Tennessee
Tennessee vs. Auburn predictions, picks and best bets: Can the Tigers stay undefeated in SEC play?
Top-ranked Auburn’s undefeated conference record is on the line Saturday night when No. 6 Tennessee makes the trip to Neville Arena. The Tigers already notched impressive wins over Houston, Iowa State and Purdue, but facing the Volunteers could be the toughest game yet.
Home-court advantage will be crucial, as Auburn’s only loss of the season came on the road. The Tigers are a 6.5-point favorite and the total is set at 140.5. Let’s get into my betting picks for the must-see matchup between Tennessee and Auburn.
Tennessee vs. Auburn predictions and best bets
- Auburn -6.5: -115 at FanDuel Sportsbook
- Under 140.5: -106 at FanDuel Sportsbook
*Note: Odds are based on the best value our experts find as of publication; check lines closer to game time to ensure you get the best odds.
Auburn benefits from a week of rest leading up to the top-10 clash. With a daunting SEC schedule, the time off gives the Tigers a chance to reset before an extremely important game.
Tennessee is one of the best teams in the nation, but the Volunteers’ two losses came on the road. This includes an upset loss against unranked Vanderbilt. According to TeamRankings, Auburn is 5-2-1 against the spread at Neville Arena, while Tennessee is 2-3 ATS in away games.
Johni Broome’s status is the biggest storyline heading into the game. The Wooden Award candidate has missed back-to-back games with an ankle injury, but head coach Bruce Pearl said Broome could return to practice at the end of the week.
Auburn has chugged along without Broome, notching a pair of ranked wins over Mississippi State and Georgia. The Tigers haven’t shown signs of regression without Broome in the lineup, so I’ll take Auburn to cover the spread.
I’m also betting the under because both teams play lockdown defense. Tennessee surrenders the third-fewest points in the nation, while Auburn allows just 66 points per game. The under is 7-4 when the Volunteers and Tigers square off with SEC opponents.
Tennessee vs. Auburn moneyline odds analysis
Why Auburn could win as the favorite
Odds: -285 at FanDuel Sportsbook
Broome suiting up would be massive for the Tigers. The senior forward leads the team in scoring, assists, rebounding and blocks, but may not play at the same level after sitting for two weeks.
If Broome isn’t ready to return, Auburn has proven it can contend without the big man, thanks to a deep roster that includes five other players averaging double-digit scoring. Chaney Johnson has gotten more minutes due to Broome’s injury and made the most of the opportunity with a 17-point performance in a blowout win over Mississippi State.
Freshman Tahaad Pettiford has been a game-changer for Auburn, and he’ll need another big game to take down the Volunteers. Pettiford is hitting 44% of his shots from beyond the arc and poured in a season-high 24 points in Auburn’s last game.
Why Tennessee could win as the underdog
Odds: +230 at FanDuel Sportsbook
Strong defense hasn’t forced the Volunteers to sacrifice scoring opportunities on the other end of the court. Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler combine to average just under 31 points per game, and Tennessee ranks seventh in offensive rebounding, per KenPom.
However, the Volunteers couldn’t buy a bucket in a 73-43 road loss versus Florida. Tennessee shot just 21.4% from the field and Zeigler and Lanier were the only players to reach double digits.
Auburn’s lengthy defenders block more shots per game than any team in the nation, and Tennessee can’t solely rely on Lanier and Zeigler to carry the load offensively. Jordan Gainey and Igor Milicic Jr. must step up to keep pace with the Tigers.
Redshirt freshman kicker Grady Dangerfield enters his second season at Tennessee in 2026.
The 6-foot, 215-pound kicker appeared in two games for the Vols in 2025. He recorded 257 yards and three touchbacks on four kickoff attempts against UAB and New Mexico State.
Against the Blazers on Sept. 20, 2025, Dangerfield had three kickoff attempts for 195 yards. He also totaled 62 kickoff yards on one attempt versus New Mexico State on Nov. 15, 2025.
Dangerfield committed to Tennessee in Oct. 2024 over Navy and Virginia Tech. He was a Kohl’s Kicking five-star prospect and the No. 41 ranked kicker in the nation.
Dangerfield went to the Vols from James Island Charter High School in Charleston, South Carolina.
Tennessee will kick off its 2026 football season Sept. 5 versus Furman at Neyland Stadium. The season opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+).
The Vols will also host Kennesaw State, Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and LSU, while playing at Georgia Tech, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt during the 2026 campaign.
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Tennessee
Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video
A viral Tennessee movie theater worker, 85, was surprised with $146K as strangers rallied together to help her “enjoy retirement.”
Mary Ellen Eron was seen hauling a heavy black garbage bag and pushing a cleaning cart during her shift at the theater in Maryville, Tenn., which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.
“Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” movie customer Brooklyn Green, who filmed the video, captioned the post.
Green launched a fundraiser last weekend after watching Mary, who has been a movie theater staffer for 45 years, hard at work – even though she’s a stranger.
“I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater,” Green told WATE reported. “I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day.
“Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard.”
Green set a target of $200,000 – and she raised $146,317 before pausing donations. More than 7,500 people donated to the charitable cause.
On Wednesday, Green posted the moment that she presented Eron, who helps the homeless and her local church, with the total figures from the crowdfunding page.
“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money,” Eron said as she realized the number on the piece of paper.
“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green said.
The clip also featured a message from Eron, who addressed the people who had contributed.
“Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people that have donated money to the GoFundMe,” she said.
“I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people. Thank you once more.”
The theater’s manager revealed it will be Eron’s decision when she retires.
The Tennessee Volunteers have had their fair share of bad news as of late when it comes to the college baseball transfer portal, but luckily, they have received some great news.
The great news that they have received is that they will be returning one of their breakout stars from this past college baseball season, as he has no intentions of entering the college baseball transfer portal.
Trent Grindlinger Will Return to Tennessee
The player who is set to return to Tennessee is Trent Grindlinger, who was electric this season and is expected to be a future top 10 MLB draft pick. This is expected for the first draft that he is eligible for, which is the 2027 MLB Draft rather than this upcoming draft that will feature multiple Vols, including Tennessee ACE, Tegan Kuhns.
Grindlinger finished last season with a batting average of .345, while hitting eight home runs and only striking out 28 times. This would be an electric season for the talented Volunteers’ batter, and he is set for a season that could and should be even better than that, which would be good enough to consider for some major college baseball end-of-the-season awards. He is just one of the few players who opted to stay and return rather than enter their name into the college baseball transfer portal, but if they were going to return anyone, he is the player they would want to return in the field.
Had he entered the transfer portal, there wouldn’t be a single college in the nation that wouldn’t want to add him, as every college would want to add the elite prospect. Not only that, but he would become the nation’s No. 1 player on the portal more than likely.
Luckily for the Vols, though, they don’t have to worry about that.
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