Kennesaw State Owls vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/19/2026

Game Time: 7:45 pm ET, Saturday, September 19, 2026

Venue:  Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Where to Watch:  SEC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Kennesaw +34.5, Tennessee -34.5; Over/Under:  59.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Kennesaw +34.5, Tennessee -34.5; Over/Under:  59.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Kennesaw +34.5, Tennessee -34.5; Over/Under:  59.5 points

Kennesaw State Owls:  1-1 (0-0) (1st place, C-USA)

Tennessee Volunteers:  2-0 (0-0) (2nd place, SEC)

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Kennesaw State Owls:  lost their last game at home against the Georgia State Panthers 31-17.

Tennessee Volunteers:  won their last game on the road against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 45-24.

Kennesaw State is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-1 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Georgia State 31-17. Rickie Collins was the starting QB and he completed 22/35 passes for 260 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Rickie Collins led the team in rushing yards with 46 and 1 TD. Javon Rogers led the receivers with 74 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Baron Hopson led the defense in that game with 11 tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. Cam Miller came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Tennessee is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Georgia Tech 45-24. Faizon Brandon was the starting QB and he completed 10/21 passes for 148 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. DeSean Bishop led the team in rushing yards with 147 and 2 TDs. Radarious Jackson led the receivers with 64 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Arion Carter and Amare Campbell each led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Mariyon Dye led the defense in sacks with 2. Jeremiah Telander and Dejuan Lane each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Tennessee listed as a 34.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Tennessee has looked great in their games this season with their 2-0 record overall so far. They have looked good on their home field too with their 1-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Kennesaw State hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 1-1 record overall so far. They haven't played any road games either and will be playing their 1st road game of the season here. Kennesaw State picked up a win in their season opener against a team from the FCS, but now they are coming off a 31-17 loss at home. They were playing a team from a stronger conference, losing 31-17 to Georgia State from the Sun Belt, but they still didn't play a power 4 team and Georgia State isn't one of the best teams in the Sun Belt either. The defense wasn't great at home and now they have to face a stronger offense in every way. Their defense didn't look great either and is going to get destroyed on the road by this kind of offense. Tennessee has been a really good team in the SEC under Heupel and they even made a CFP appearance 2 years ago. They usually have one of the best offenses in the nation under Heupel too and the offense has been rolling this year. They beat Furman 56-9 in their season opener which wasn't really a challenge for them, but they did get challenged on the road last week with a 45-24 win over Georgia Tech who was one of the best teams in the ACC last year. Tennessee has a lot more talent on offense to run up the score at home here and their defense has looked better this season too, Kennesaw State already having trouble on offense last week at home against a weaker defense. The best way to place a bet here is on Tennessee to cover the spread in this game. 

Kennesaw State Tennessee Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 19, 2026 (7:45 pm ET start time) is Tennessee 56 Kennesaw State 3.

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Kennesaw State Owls: 2-6 ATS off a home loss. 1-5 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 9-16 ATS after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 18-12 UNDER as an underdog. 24-17 UNDER in non-conference games.

Tennessee Volunteers: 7-4 ATS after a win by 17 or more points. 7-4 ATS after scoring 37 points or more last game. 8-4 UNDER when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 12-5 UNDER against Conference USA opponents. 41-25 UNDER after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better.

Kennesaw State Owls:  None.

Tennessee Volunteers:  J. Harmon (LB) Out - Knee.

“It’s the first time in the history of the program that (Kennesaw State has) faced an SEC opponent, and I think those guys will remember that forever. But we’re still going up there to take care of business and try to put our best foot forward. And making sure that we have a chance as a football team to get better. That’s the No. 1 thing about these types of games — it gives you a chance to grow and to get better.” - Jerry Mack on his team’s upcoming game against Tennessee this week. 

“The stat sheet is not going to be elite. I actually really like the way he played the game. He handled himself in situational football pretty well. First game on the road, 18 years old, handled himself well, took care of it, scrambled, made some plays.” - Josh Heupel after his team’s win against GA Tech in their last game. 

WR Rogers, Javon

WR Munroe, Brayden

WR Bryson, Davis

TE Bullock Jr., Gerard

QB Collins, Rickie

RB Murrell, Latrelle

WR Matthews, Mike

WR Jackson, Radarious

WR Staley, Braylon

TE Davis, Ethan

QB Brandon, Faizon

RB Bishop, DeSean

Passing: Rickie Collins (431)

Rushing: Latrelle Murrell (100)

Receiving: Javon Rogers (129)

Touchdowns: Rickie Collins (3)

Passing: Faizon Brandon (374)

Rushing: DeSean Bishop (244)

Receiving: Mike Matthews (148)

Touchdowns: DeSean Bishop (3)

Coaches:

Kennesaw State Owls: Jerry Mack (2nd season)

Tennessee Volunteers: Josh Heupel (6th season)