Tennessee closes out its non-conference slate against a program it's never played before — and the Owls actually earned the invite.
Bush’s Picks
KENNTENN
KENNTENN
OverUnder
Best BetTennessee
Tennessee is the clear side here regardless of price — this is a team with 8 returning offensive starters and a top-five recruiting class hosting a Conference USA program in its first-ever meeting between the two. Kennesaw State's rebuild has been legitimately impressive, but the roster and depth gap against an SEC team at home is about as wide as it gets on a schedule.
Kennesaw State
+Defending Conference USA champs, 10-4 in 2025
+5 players on CUSA preseason watch list
+Most efficient passing offense in CUSA last year
−First-ever meeting, first true Power 4 road test
−Brand-new starting QB via Syracuse swap
−Averaged 7-plus penalties per game in 2025
Tennessee
+8 returning offensive starters, most in the SEC
+Top-five 2026 recruiting class
+New DC Jim Knowles arrives from champion Indiana
−Starting QB battle still unresolved into fall camp
−Heavy coaching and roster turnover this offseason
−Projected as a middle-of-the-pack SEC team
Neyland Stadium's Salute to Service game on Saturday, September 19 pits Tennessee against Kennesaw State for the first time ever, and the Owls aren't just some overmatched name plugged in to fill a bye week. Jerry Mack, a former Vols running backs coach, took Kennesaw State from 2-10 to a 10-4 Conference USA championship in his first year on the job, and he's back for round 2 trying to prove it wasn't a fluke.
Tennessee's side of this is still a little unsettled heading into fall camp. Josh Heupel hasn't named a starting quarterback between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon, with a decision expected after the second scrimmage in August — well before this one kicks off, but it's the headline storyline of the Vols' offseason all the same.
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KENN Kennesaw State
TENN Tennessee
Whoever wins that job inherits a loaded supporting cast. Tennessee returns 8 offensive starters, more than any other SEC team, headlined by 1,000-yard back DeSean Bishop and receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, poached from national champion Indiana, also gives Heupel a defense that should look different than the one Vols fans watched in 2025.
Kennesaw State Owls
Sep 12?vs Georgia State—
Sep 3?vs West Georgia—
Tennessee Volunteers
Sep 12?@ Georgia Tech—
Sep 5?vs Furman—
Recent form.
Kennesaw State isn't walking in overwhelmed, either. The Owls bring 5 players off the preseason CUSA watch list, including linebacker Baron Hopson, who piled up 138 tackles last season and profiles as one of the best open-field defenders in the conference. They also have a new quarterback of their own — Collins arrives in a swap with Syracuse — tasked with running what was already the most efficient passing attack in Conference USA a year ago.
The gap in roster talent and conference weight class is real, and Kennesaw State's own tendency to hand out free yardage — the Owls averaged well over 7 penalties a game in 2025 — won't make life easier against an SEC roster that just landed a top-five recruiting class. Still, a team that won a championship in its first full FBS season has already shown it doesn't scare easily.
