Vanderbilt Commodores at No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (-29.5), Total 41.5 |
Vanderbilt comes into this contest with a 3-1 record and dropped a 21-3 decision to the South Carolina Gamecocks as 14.5-point road underdogs last time out. The Commodores were off last week and focused primarily on the offensive side of the ball.
“We need to get all the points we can. Defense, offense and special teams,” commented coach James Franklin. “Collectively, this is the best unit I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching in college football.”
That doesn’t bode well for an offense that managed just five first downs and 77 yards against the Gamecocks. Vanderbilt is facing a team that is giving up just 8.4 points per game and 39.6 rushing yards.
The Commodores last win over a ranked team came in 2008 with a 14-13 win on Oct. 4, as it will be seeking to end a 10-game losing streak in that situation.
This will be the 83rd meeting between the two schools and Vanderbilt has posted a 19-59-4 record, including a 24-10 loss as 3.5-point home underdogs in 2007.
So far this season, the defense has performed well under first-year coordinator Bob Shoop, leading the nation with 14 interceptions, while limiting opponents to 15.8 points per game. The team has been stellar in defending the red zone, ranking second in the conference and third nationally in holding opponents to 50 percent.
college football betting fans will find that the Commodores are 10-16 ATS over the last two-plus seasons and the ‘under’ is 18-8 over that span.
Alabama returns home after handing Florida a 38-10 loss as 3.5-point road favorites and the team has out-gained all five opponents this year by triple digits. The Crimson Tide will likely come away with a victory in this contest, winning 15 of 16 games inside Bryant-Denny Stadium against the Commodores.
The program has been tremendously successful during this month under Nick Saban, posting a 14-1 record, while outscoring opponents by a 376-208 margin in October. The only loss came against No. 19 South Carolina on Oct. 9, 2010.
Junior running back Trent Richardson has gotten off to a solid start, running for 622 yards in five games. Richardwon has had 96 carries for 10 touchdowns, which is ahead of Mark Ingram’s pace when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2009.
Alabama is 23-1 in its last 24 games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, dating back to the 2008 season. The team is 10-6 ATS at home the last two-plus seasons.
Bettors will find that the road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings, while the series has gone ‘under’ the total in five straight.
