The kickoff time and broadcast details are set for Tennessee football’s late October matchup at Kentucky. Kickoff between the Vols and Wildcats is at 7:45 p.m. ET with the SEC Network broadcasting the game, the SEC announced Monday.
The broadcasting crew is not yet set but it will likely be Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic. That group almost always does the SEC Network night game.
Tennessee’s border rivalry at Kentucky will be its second straight night game. The Vols play at Alabama this Saturday in the 8 p.m. ET primetime game on ABC. Tennessee has yet to play a night game at home this season.
The Vols have played four games in the afternoon slot this season— facing ETSU, Georgia, Mississippi State and Arkansas in the time slot. Tennessee has played a pair of noon time slot games facing off against Syracuse and UAB.
Kentucky-Tennessee was selected as a night game before the season but the exact kickoff time and broadcast details were not chosen until Monday. It continues a broadcast trend in the border rivalry. Next week’s game is the seventh straight matchup in Lexington that has been a night game— dating back to the Wildcats’ losing streak ending win back in 2011.
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During that time, Tennessee has played home night games against Kentucky both in 2024 and 2022. The rest of the games since 2012 have either been noon or afternoon games.
Tennessee enters this week’s matchup at Alabama with a 5-1 (2-1 SEC) record. The Vols remain in the College Football Playoff race but likely can afford just one more loss and this week’s matchup at Alabama is likely the hardest remaining on their schedule.
Kentucky is 2-3 (0-3 SEC) ahead of this week’s home matchup against Texas. The Wildcats were off last week after uncompetitive losses against Georgia and South Carolina the two weeks prior. Head coach Mark Stoops seat is getting at least a bit hotter with another disappointing season brewing.
Other top SEC games during week nine of the college football season include Texas A&M-LSU at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, Ole Miss-Oklahoma at noon ET on ABC and Vanderbilt-Missouri at either 3:30 p.m. ET or 4:15 p.m. ET on either ESPN or SEC Network.
