The Kennesaw State Owls take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
Tennessee is favored by -34.5 points on the spread. Kennesaw State, meanwhile, enters as a +34.5 underdog and is +5000 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 59.5 total points.
Here’s my Kennesaw St vs. Tennessee prediction and college football pick for Saturday, September 19.
Kennesaw State vs Tennessee Prediction
- Kennesaw State vs. Tennessee Pick: Tennessee -34.5 (-112 | Play to -35)
My Tennessee vs. Kennesaw State best bet is on the Vols to cover a huge number. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page, and download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis.
Kennesaw State vs Tennessee Odds
| Kennesaw St Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+34.5 -105 | 59.5 -102o / -118u | +5000 |
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-34.5 -112 | 59.5 -102o / -118u | N/A |
- Kennesaw State vs Tennessee point spread: Kennesaw State +34.5 (-105), Tennessee -34.5 (-112)
- Kennesaw State vs Tennessee over/under: 59.5 (-102o / -118u)
- Kennesaw State vs Tennessee moneyline: Kennesaw State +5000
Kennesaw State vs Tennessee College Football Preview
Kennesaw State Owls Betting Preview: Grim Outlook for the Season
Priors and program means are contentious topics in college football power ratings.
After all, using program means and priors projected Kennesaw State to finish last in Conference USA last year. Instead, it won 10 games with a new coach and won the league just months after finishing 2-10.
But then the entire roster was gutted to the transfer portal. Star quarterback Amari Odom left for Syracuse, star corner JeRico Washington Jr. for Boise and star offensive lineman Josiah Chenault for Sam Houston (ouch).
A handful of contributors like defensive end Marcus Patterson stayed put, but it's clear this isn't the 2025 Conference USA Kennesaw State.
It's regressing to the program mean (which, in the FCS, was pretty good for its short lifespan, but far from what's needed to compete annually in the FBS).
The Owls defense — a unit that was cleaned out in the portal this year and sent a handful of players to the power conferences — allowed Georgia State to gain 72% of all available yards (483 in total).
Offensive coordinator Mitch Militello decided to run the Odom script back and build the whole plane out of Rickie Collins.
But Collins isn't Odom (he has run through three schools and was awful at Syracuse), and the offense now has a very limited ceiling. It's likely a straight-up liability.
This just isn't a roster capable of replicating that success. Although we projected similar finishes last season, unless JUCO transfer Landon Varnes or freshman Skyler Williams is cut from the same cloth as Odom, Kennesaw State isn't running it back.
This team is poised to finish near last place in Conference USA.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview: Fantastic Run Game
There's far more to analyze with Tennessee for bigger games like next week against Texas, the third Saturday in October against Alabama, or in Week 12 against LSU (Tennessee's home schedule is brutal).
This week, let's focus on what will be at play against Kennesaw State.
Quarterback Faizon Brandon is still new, and the offense is breaking him in. During that time, we've seen an uptick in reliance on the run game, specifically dynamic junior DeSean Bishop.
With SEC play on the horizon, I expect head coach Josh Heupel to get Brandon as involved as possible to get him up to game speed for next week. That might involve throwing up 35 on Saturday (spoiler alert).
Though the passing scheme gets a lot of the love, Heupel's run game is and has been fantastic. Against Georgia Tech, Tennessee ripped off seven explosive runs, which accounted for 17% of all plays.
Bishop has averaged 4.4 yards per carry after contact this season, and nine of his 34 rushing attempts went for 10 yards or more.
The offensive line is doing its job, but Bishop is one of the SEC's most dangerous backs this year. He also compiled the quietest 1,000-yard season in the country last year.
There's some reason for concern about the Vols' defensive front, which allowed 3.6 yards per carry created by Georgia Tech's offensive line, but Kennesaw just isn't the program to exploit that.
Tennessee tight end Ethan Davis is done for the season, a blow to the offense, and two key preseason defensive backs — safety Edrees Farooq and cornerback Jadais Richard — are out for extended periods of time.
But even Tennessee's second- and third-teams trounce what this Kennesaw team brings to the table after it was cleaned out in the transfer portal.
Kennesaw State vs Tennessee Pick, Betting Analysis
Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers are unkind to outmatched visitors.
Over the last four-plus seasons, the Vols beat FCS and non-power opponents by an average of 46.9 points per game with such finals as 72-17 over East Tennessee State (2025), 71-0 over Kent State (2024) and 63-6 over Akron (2022).
Tennessee is 12-4 to the number when laying 20-plus points since 2022. Heupel must define sportsmanship a different way than letting his lesser foes leave with moral victories.
In comes a 1-1 Kennesaw team that was throttled by Georgia State (which is likely better than expected, but still a low-tier FBS team).
Expect Tennessee to spread out the defense with Heupel's signature Wide Choice and finish every available drive. There's the right combination of explosiveness both through the air and on the ground to blow this game out of proportion immediately.
Even with Texas on deck, this isn't a look-ahead spot for the Vols. This is a get-Faizon-right spot ahead of a marquee SEC matchup. Lay it and don't look back.
Pick: Tennessee -34.5 (Play to -35)
Kennesaw State vs Tennessee Betting Trends
