Former Vols head coach Lane Kiffin makes his return to Knoxville this Saturday, Oct. 16 when the Ole Miss Rebels face the Tennessee Vols.
Sportsbooks give Ole Miss a slight upper hand in this Week 7 matchup, but history predicts a much different result.
College’s two fastest teams face off
Kiffin paid a visit to Neyland Stadium once before in October 2014 as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, though this will be the first time he faces Tennessee as an opposing team’s head coach. This history with Kiffin is far from the only similarity these two teams share, however.
One particular commonality will play a defining role in Saturday’s outcome – the fact that the Vols and Rebels are two of the swiftest teams in the league.
Mississippi boasts the distinction of having the fastest offense in college football, averaging 2.89 plays per minute during this year’s games. Tennessee has also held this title multiple times already and currently ranks second in the nation with an average of 2.87 plays per minute.
Additionally, Tennessee’s offense averages the third-best distance in the SEC with 474 yards per game, while the Rebels’ offense tops the charts with 561 yards per game.
Both teams also rank in the SEC’s top four when it comes to total yards, yards per game, total plays, plays per game, and rush yards per game.
Vols vs. Ole Miss betting odds
The Vols enter Saturday’s home game as a slight underdog against Ole Miss, which is currently ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 rankings. The Rebels hold a 4-1 season record, while the Vols are 4-2 after their six games.
Moneyline
Tennessee sportsbooks favor Ole Miss in this matchup, setting the moneyline at for the Rebels and giving the Vols odds of securing a win.
The teams have history against each other, but this will be their first meeting in seven years.
The two colleges last met in 2014, when the Vols traveled to Mississippi and suffered a 34-3 loss.
The majority of the faceoffs between these two teams have been played on Tennessee soil, with Ole Miss winning only 15 of those 52 total away games. Moreover, Ole Miss has only won one of the last 10 total matchups.
The last Neyland Stadium game the Rebels won against the Vols was in 1983. Their next win didn’t come until 2009, when Ole Miss won 42-17 in Mississippi.
Spread
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Rebels are given the advantage with a spread of .
Some sportsbooks still have Ole Miss at -3 heading into this game.
In the three games where Ole Miss has been favored by three or more points, they’ve covered the spread twice.
Tennessee currently sits at against Mississippi.
Over/Under
With an over/under set at , sportsbooks expect this to be a high-scoring game.
This is due in large part to each team’s powerful running squads. The Rebels rank fifth in rushing yards per game and have averaged a total 561.6 yards per game this year.
The Vols rank sixth when it comes to rushing yards and log roughly 474 total yards per game.
And while Tennessee might have only seen three plays of 40 or more yards during the previous season, they’ve already completed eight of them this year.
When it comes to this year’s games, however, totals haven’t been quite as high as what this game’s current line may suggest.
Only two Ole Miss games have resulted in totals of over 80 points this season, while only one Tennessee event has managed to do so.
The Rebels average 73.1 points per game, while Vols’ matchups see roughly 59.2 points per game.
Vols, Ole Miss betting promos
Tennessee sportsbooks have a variety of promotions available when betting on the Vols and Ole Miss. This is especially true for new users, who can take advantage of welcome offers at sportsbooks like Caesars TN or BetMGM Tennessee.
Those visiting Neyland Stadium in person on Saturday can participate in Checkered Neyland by wearing either orange or white in accordance with the seating chart.
Those viewing from afar can stream the game on the SEC Network beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET.
