SIGN UP: Get the best player prop and game betting projections at BetAlytics. Use code "JUICE" for a special promo rate.
No. 1 Alabama (4-0) at Vanderbilt (2-2)
Date: Saturday, October 5
Time: 4:15 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
You know those hangovers that last all day? The ones that have you folded in bed until noon and on the couch until 4 p.m., when you can barely make it to the kitchen to only eat cereal for dinner?
Well, even that hangover isn’t as bad as the hangover spot Alabama finds itself in this Saturday at Vanderbilt.
The pick — Vanderbilt +23.5 (-108, BetMGM)
After a massive 41-34 win over Georgia, the Crimson Tide now have to wake up for a sleepy midday game in Nashville, Tennessee. And it’s not like the stadium is going to be that crazy and loud. C’mon, it’s Vanderbilt (no offense). There won’t even be rowdy Vandy fans to motivate Alabama as a road team. Flat Stanley might be jealous of how flat Bama will look in this one.
On top of a sleepy hangover spot for the Tide, the game will be the first after a bye for a Vanderbilt team that looked way better than preseason expectations indicated. The Commodores are playing the role of the scrappy younger brother in the SEC, and quarterback Diego Pavia has led a respectable offense that’s ranked 31st in passing success rate. The Dores also have a more than capable defense that’s ranked 28th in opponent success rate.
And as if that’s not enough to like Vandy, head coach Clark Lea said this week that he wants his team to win time of possession and grind out the clock. So don’t expect the Tide to have a ton of chances to score.
With a hangover game like this, it’s wise to stick to the system and take the points. I also want to see how new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer handles this type of challenge in his first season with the program.
Vanderbilt, fresh off a bye, takes the Tide by surprise.
Season record: 10-9, +1.07 units