Alabama vs. Vanderbilt: Betting Odds, Top Predictions, and Our Best Bet for Saturday, October 5
Get ready for Week 6 of college football by diving into our betting previews. Today, we'll examine Saturday's Alabama at Vanderbilt matchup. Get the odds and predictions below along with a best bet!
Live Odds for Alabama at Vanderbilt
Several online sportsbooks opened this line up on Sunday afternoon at Alabama -25.5. Shockingly, a ton of sharp action came in on Vandy to push this line down to its current number of Alabama -23.5. I'm betting that a lot of those folks also made money with the Commodores a couple of weeks ago against Mizzou.
Oddsmakers are expecting a moderate amount of scoring in this game, as evidenced by the game total of 54.5 to 55.5. At first glance, I thought this total was a bit low, as both of these offenses can easily get into the 30s.
Will Alabama Be Caught Looking Ahead?
The Crimson Tide is clearly the more talented team in this matchup, but you have to wonder where their heads will be. Bama is coming off an emotionally draining win over archrival Georgia last weekend. They needed a long touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to Ryan Williams just to avoid a loss after being up 28-0.
Speaking of Mr. Milroe, he's now the leader in the Heisman race and it's easy to see why. The 6'2" junior has already thrown 10 touchdowns and ran for 8 more. It'll be interesting to see if Clark Lea tries to limit Milroe in this game by putting a spy on him at all times.
The Alabama defense looked lost in the 2nd half against Georgia, but they've been a pretty stingy bunch as a whole this season. The Tide ranks 11th in yards per play allowed and 8th in yards per pass allowed. Que Robinson leads the team with 3.5 sacks so far in 2024.
Vandy Should Be Well-Rested After Bye Week
The Vanderbilt Commodores are 2-2 on the season, but they could very well be 4-0. They suffered a shocking loss to Georgia State before losing to No. 7 Missouri a couple of weeks ago in double overtime.
Diego Pavia, who transferred in from New Mexico State, has done a fantastic job of leading the Vandy offense. He's already thrown 6 touchdowns and has yet to throw a pick this season. The 6-foot senior has no trouble putting his head down and picking up extra yardage with his feet, either.
Vandy's Achilles heel so far has been their defense. The 'Dores have allowed 31 points per game so far in 2024. However, they've done a decent job of pressuring opposing QBs, as their sack rate ranks a respectable 48th out of 134 FBS schools.
Best Bet: Vanderbilt +23.5
Faithful readers of this column know that I'm a huge Alabama fan, so this bet is more than a bit painful for me. That being said, my main allegiance is to my readers and their respective bankrolls. This is a terrible spot for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is coming off a humongous last-second victory over Georgia. How motivated will they be to take a road trip up I-65 to Nashville? Kalen DeBoer is a heck of a coach, but this is an awful lot of points for a potentially unfocused Tide team to cover.
Vanderbilt proved against Mizzou that they can hang with the big boys, and they'll be fired up to compete in this one. I also love that the Dores are coming off a bye week. Bama will win, but they won't cover this lofty spread.
Prediction: Alabama 35 - Vanderbilt 21