Vanderbilt Can Be Bowl Eligible for Third Straight Year
With a win over the Kentucky Wildcats, the Vanderbilt Commodores can be bowl eligible for the third year in a row. What does this mean? Up until three years ago, they had been to four bowl games in their history. So three in a row is very impressive. Vanderbilt is one of those schools where if you get a degree from you can write your own ticket. They are not a football factory that has a college. They are the SEC’s version of Stanford, Duke, Georgia Tech and Northwestern.
Being one of those high academic institutions in the Big Ten, PAC 12 or ACC is tough enough. To be one of them in the SEC is brutal. Football is taken so seriously in the SEC that the typical fan of these schools probably has no problem if the football players even attend a class as long as they win on Saturdays. At Vandy this is not the case. So while other high brow institutions such as Duke, Tech and Stanford are also performing well on the gridiron, none of these jobs is as impressive as Vanderbilt winning in the SEC.
A win over UK would be their sixth of the season and they still have a chance to win more with games left against the Tennessee Volunteers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons still to play. Last year, the Commodores were 9-4 and was at the exact same place the team is in this year. Or were they? This year’s team has wins over the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators, two teams that have long used them as a homecoming opponent. This year’s team could end up being the greatest in school history. To do that they need to win out, which would mean a second straight win over Tennessee.
TopBet has odds on this week’s SEC games including the Vandy -UK game
Kentucky at Vanderbilt- UK is +12.5 -110 and Vandy is -12.5 -110 ATS. Moneyline has Kentucky +370 and Vanderbilt -470. O/U is 53 with over and under -110. We are going to go with Vanderbilt -12.5 and the under -110.
Florida at South Carolina– UF is +13 -110 and USC -13 -110 ATS. Moneyline is Florida+400 and South Carolina -500. Over/Under is 42 with both -110. We like the Gamecocks -13 and the under -110. Florida is so undermanned they are starting their third string quarterback. He is the second one this season that will be taking his first snaps. If QB was the only position in this shape it would be bad enough. But the gators are saying the same about a bunch of others as well.
Georgia at Auburn– UGA is +3.5 -110 and Auburn is -3.5 -110 ATS. Moneyline has Georgia +150 and Auburn -170. O/U is 63.5 with both -110. We like UGA +3.5 and the over -110. Georgia will likely have a healthy Todd Gurley for this game and they may catch the Tigers looking forward to a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama at Mississippi State– The Tide is -24.5 and the Bulldogs are +24.5 ATS. O/U is 52.5 with both -110. We like Bama -24.5 and the under -110. Bulldogs Coach Dan Mullen could save his job with a big upset in this one but look for MSU to have a new coach next year.
