Auburn vs. Tennessee Prediction, Odds & Pick
Prediction, odds and the model's read
Our model's read
Scouting report
2026 · 2 games in, blended with the projection
Where Auburn gets at Tennessee: 42nd at moving the ball on the ground, against a unit 86th at shutting down the ground game. Where Tennessee gets at Auburn: 15th at surviving second and twelve, against a unit 71st at closing out passing downs. Auburn is also 39th in the push up front, against a unit 74th.
How
AUBattacks
TENN
- 1
Lean on the run
moving the ball on the ground · 23% this season, 2 games
AUB48%#42 of 138TENN44%#86 of 138 - 2
Establish the push up front
the push the line gets · 22% this season, 2 games
AUB3.40#39 of 138TENN3.73#74 of 138
HowTENNattacksAUB
- 1
Trust the offense behind schedule
surviving second and twelve · projected · 2 games in
TENN36%#15 of 138AUB31%#71 of 138 - 2
Stay on schedule through the air
staying on schedule through the air · 20% this season, 2 games
TENN41%#21 of 138AUB40%#62 of 138 - 3
Finish drives in the red zone
turning trips inside the 40 into points · 20% this season, 2 games
TENN6.21#7 of 138AUB3.00#45 of 138
The two teams
Auburn
Auburn is in year 1 under Alex Golesh, whose offenses have been balanced. The strengths are defensive, led by 7th at defending the run. The way in is 113th at throwing it, and they are 110th at hitting chunk plays.
On fourth down he goes for it more often than his peers do from the same spots (+5.1%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −21.6% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
Auburn has played 2 games against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 25% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Strengths
- Defenserunning it-0.26#7 of 138
- Defensethe push the line gets2.11#9 of 138
- Defensefirst and second down41%#24 of 138
Soft spots
- Offensethrowing it+0.16#113 of 138
- Offensehitting chunk plays1.19#110 of 138
Tennessee
Tennessee is in year 6 under Josh Heupel, whose offenses have been balanced. The strengths are on both sides of the ball, led by 5th at running it.
On fourth down he goes for it more often than his peers do from the same spots (+4.2%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −12.7% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
Tennessee has played 2 games against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 21% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Offenserunning it+0.39#5 of 138
- Defensehitting chunk plays1.06#5 of 138
- Offenseturning trips inside the 40 into points6.21#7 of 138
Ranks are national. Nothing here is last season's number — carrying one forward is measurably worse than saying nothing — and in-season figures are adjusted for who was actually played. This describes the matchup; it is not a prediction and not a pick.
Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
Model prediction
how the number is builtOur model simulates the game drive by drive from each side's opponent-adjusted efficiency (TENN Elo 1729, AUB Elo 1678 for reference), with home-field advantage. That projects TENN -3.8 (60% to win), essentially in line with the market.
Why that percentage is worth reading: across 604 graded in-season games, the calls this model put near 58% came in at 58.2%. The full calibration table is published, bin by bin. Early in the season the cold-start path runs instead and calibrates less well (Brier 0.2028 against 0.1889).
Model as of Sep 1 · through week 1 · drive simulation
Where the game is won
2026 national rank · right is better
offensethe defense it faces
Moving the ball
AUB61st45thTENNTENN16th33rdAUBThrough the air
AUB47th19thTENNTENN69th117thAUBOn the ground
AUB24th106thTENNTENN6th25thAUBStaying on the field
AUB32nd86thTENNTENN26th62ndAUBTaking care of it
AUB104th76thTENNTENN48th22ndAUB
Each bar runs from last in the country on the left to 1st on the right. The filled span is the gap between the offense and the defense it faces.
Season form — 2026
nationally rankedThe matchup, in context
series history + adjusted profilesAuburn leads 28–22–3 · 49% have been one-possession games
| AUB | TENN | |
|---|---|---|
| +14.7 (#29) | CORE overall | +20.5 (#14) |
| +3 / -12 | offense / defense | +13 / -8 |
| 2.29 | points / drive | 4.50 |
| 0.65 | allowed / drive | 1.00 |
| 14% | three-and-outs | 0% |
| +1 | pass over expected | -9 |
Bold is the side ahead. CORE strips the situation from every play and solves the schedule out across the league, so these compare two teams that never met.
Key matchups
The analyst read: each team's offense splits crossed against the opponent's defense, with the edges called out.
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FAQ
Who will win Auburn vs. Tennessee?
Gridpex's model favors Tennessee with a 60% win probability.
What's the predicted spread for Auburn vs. Tennessee?
The model projects Tennessee by 3.8.
What time is Auburn vs. Tennessee and what channel is it on?
Time TBD, at Neyland Stadium.
Where this number comes from. Every projection on this page is produced by the same model, run before kickoff on opponent-adjusted efficiency, power ratings and situational data — walk-forward validated on eleven seasons and never adjusted after the fact. How the model works →