One huge advantage for Tennessee football has been the number of big games already set for the afternoon next year. The Vols will face the Syracuse Orange at Noon and the Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. However, a new slate of kickoff times should give them cause for concern.
UT’s TV windows now include five FLEX games that could be in the afternoon or at night. Those are at the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Arkansas Razorbacks at home, at the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Oklahoma Sooners at home and at the Florida Gators.
The big story, though, is what was revealed with Kentucky. Tennessee football will face them at either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. Either way, it’s a night game on the road for the, and if you know the history of this program under Josh Heupel, that’s when they underachieve the most.
Early-morning practices make it difficult for the Vols to be ready to go at night. The focus on tempo in Heupel’s offense complicates things on the road ever-so-slightly. When you combine the two, you have a team always in danger of being upset on the road.
Last year, the Vols went 3-6 against the spread in games that kicked off at 7 p.m. or later, going 0-6 in their final six games. That included a shocking upset loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks which proved severely costly when it came to their College Football Playoff standings.
For what it’s worth, this team was undefeated against the spread in day games.
Taking that into account, Kentucky could be dangerous. Mark Stoops doesn’t have a bad team in Lexington, and if they turn the matchup into a defense slugfest, you just might see the Vols struggle way more than they ever should against that program.
Now, to be fair, Kentucky is the one exception to this rule. UT is 2-0 against them on the road at night against the spread under Heupel. They just seem to own that team no matter what. At the same time, though, that doesn’t mean they can take them for granted.
Before Arkansas last year, Heupel’s team laid an egg on the road at the Florida Gators the year before and the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2022. Don’t think Tennessee football can’t slip up and lose to Kentucky this upcoming year on the road, especially with all its issues at quarterback. A night kickoff only exacerbates that.
