Auburn Tigers vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/03/2026

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 3, 2026

Venue:  Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Auburn +7, Tennessee -7; Over/Under:  54.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Auburn +7, Tennessee -7; Over/Under:  54.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Auburn +7, Tennessee -7; Over/Under:  54.5 points

Auburn Tigers:  3-1 (1-1) (6th place, SEC)

Tennessee Volunteers:  3-1 (0-1) (10th place, SEC)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Harry Gagnon is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 16-8-2 CFB RUN for +$7,440 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Auburn Tigers:  won their last game at home against the Vanderbilt Commodores 21-15.

Tennessee Volunteers:  lost their last game at home against the Texas Longhorns 20-17.

Auburn is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 1-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Vanderbilt 21-15. Byrum Brown was the starting QB and he completed 18/27 passes for 140 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Jeremiah Cobb led the team in rushing yards with 58. Chas Nimrod led the receivers with 52 receiving yards on 5 receptions and 1 TD. Xavier Atkins led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Xavier Atkins, Jared Smith, and Walter Mathis Jr. each led the defense in sacks with 1. Sylvester Smith came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Tennessee is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 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 lost their last game against Texas 20-17. Faizon Brandon was the starting QB and he completed 17/29 passes for 145 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. DeSean Bishop led the team in rushing yards with 34. Mike Matthews led the receivers with 72 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Arion Carter led the defense in that game with 11 tackles while Tyree Weathersby led the defense in sacks with 2.5. Kayin Lee came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Tennessee listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Tennessee has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall, but their 0-1 conference record has them right near the bottom of the SEC. They have looked good on their home field with their 2-1 home record this season. Meanwhile, Auburn has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall and their 1-1 conference record which has them right in the middle of the SEC. They haven't played any road games though and will be playing their 1st road game of the season here. Auburn is coming off a 21-15 win over Vanderbilt in their last one and their defense looked great in that one. They have a ton of talent on their defense this year and haven't given up a ton of points in a lot of their games, but the offense has been a big issue for them. They had a lot of trouble putting up points against bad teams like Vanderbilt and Baylor, Brown really struggling in his 1st year playing in the SEC now. The only game that their offense looked great in was against Florida, but their defense looked terrible in that one as they gave up 44 points and couldn't keep up, Florida running away with it throughout the game. Now this is their 1st true road game in the SEC and Tennessee is a ranked team who has been really good in the conference for years. They have looked a lot better at home too and even though they do have a loss there, they are coming off a 20-17 loss to Texas who is the 1st ranked team in the nation and Tennessee still had a chance to win that one at the end. Tennessee has a lot of talent on defense too, shutting down that Texas offense last week, and they have a lot more talent on offense with a great rushing attack that is going to cause issues for Auburn who let Florida run all over them for 60 minutes. The best way to place a bet here is on Tennessee to cover the spread in this game. 

Auburn Tennessee Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 3, 2026 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Tennessee 35 Auburn 13.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Auburn Tigers Tennessee Volunteers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Auburn Tigers: 23-16 ATS in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 28-17 1H ATS as a road underdog of 7 points or less. 17-8 UNDER against FBS division opponents. 9-3 UNDER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 10-5 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record. 

Tennessee Volunteers: 4-10 ATS as a home favorite. 1-5 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. 0-5 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 25-17 UNDER off a home loss against a conference rival. 21-15 UNDER after a loss by 6 or less points. 42-25 UNDER after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better.

Auburn Tigers:  H. Herring (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. E. Smith (WR) Out - Undisclosed. N. Davenport (RB) Out - Undisclosed.

Tennessee Volunteers:  J. Baker (RB) Questionable - Hand. J. Gordon (RB) Questionable - Leg. F. Brandon (QB) Questionable - Upper Body. J. Harmon (LB) Out - Knee.

“One of the keys for us to have success on our offense was to be able to handle the pressure, to be able to handle the true, the cover zero looks, the all-up looks. I thought Byrum handled it extremely well.” - Alex Golesh after his team’s win against Vandy in their last game. 

“Up front we weren’t good enough. Quarterback was not good enough. We didn’t play smart enough, but I’ll take the effort.” - Josh Heupel after his team’s loss against Texas in their last game. 

WR Singleton, Keshaun

WR Koger, Jeremiah

WR Nimrod, Chas

TE Johnson, Jake

QB Brown, Byrum

RB Cobb, Jeremiah

WR Matthews, Mike

WR Jackson, Radarious

WR Staley, Braylon

TE Brame, DaSaahn

QB Brandon, Faizon

RB Bishop, DeSean

Passing: Byrum Brown (896)

Rushing: Byrum Brown (237)

Receiving: Keshaun Singleton (268)

Touchdowns: Byrum Brown (4)

Passing: Faizon Brandon (697)

Rushing: DeSean Bishop (320)

Receiving: Mike Matthews (261)

Touchdowns: DeSean Bishop (4)

Coaches:

Auburn Tigers: Alex Golesh (1st season)

Tennessee Volunteers: Josh Heupel (6th season)