Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee prediction: Odds, pick, best bet for SEC clash

Vanderbilt’s path to the College Football Playoff gets complicated.

The Commodores are No. 14 in the latest CFP Rankings, and would likely need some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to get into the dance, but they do control one thing: How they fare against Tennessee on Saturday afternoon.

A win keeps Vanderbilt in the mix. A loss eliminates the Commodores and provides a sour ending for an otherwise fairytale season.

The Commodores are 2.5-point underdogs at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee odds, prediction

This is an interesting game to handicap.

If the stakes were switched, meaning Tennessee was playing for a potential spot in the Playoff, and Vanderbilt was in spoiler mode, the line would likely be close to double-digits.

With that said, motivation does come into play in these situations.

Vanderbilt has everything on the line and has played like dogs on a bone all season, which could be enough to get the Commodores a win or at least keep this thing within the number.

The numbers also suggest that Vandy can pull the mini upset on Saturday.

The Volunteers are one of the best offensive teams in the country, ranking seventh in scoring, 15th in yards per play, and fourth overall, per SP+, but the Commodores are right there with them.

Vanderbilt grades out as the eighth-best offense in FBS, per SP+, and ranks ahead of Tennessee in both points per game and yards per play.

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The high-pressure situation shouldn’t be too much for Vandy, either, as this is a team that has pulled several upsets in hostile environments over the last two seasons.

The tale of the tape suggests that this game is a coin flip. These two teams both have similar strengths and weaknesses.

But only one of these combatants has everything on the line on Saturday, and when the matchup projects to be on a knife’s edge, that is enough to get me to the window.

The Play: Vanderbilt moneyline (+125, FanDuel)

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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.