The 2022 college football regular season involves a detailed with a number of rivalry games set to happen throughout the vacation weekend.
The Tennessee Volunteers were one in all the most important stories in college football this season. The Vols got off to an 8-0 start and were ranked because the No. 1 team within the country before a Nov. 5 matchup with Georgia. Tennessee was back on the national stage and with a win over the Bulldogs, would all but assure itself a spot within the College Football Playoff.
The Volunteers would lose that SEC heavyweight battle, 27-13, but kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a win over Missouri the next week.
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Unfortunately, the dream then led to an unsightly 63-38 loss to South Carolina. To make matters worse, the Vols also lost quarterback and Heisman hopeful Hendon Hooker to a torn ACL.
Now, in spite of everything of that, the Volunteers might want to get themselves up for a season finale against interstate rival, Vanderbilt (5-6).
And while Tennessee has little or no to play for, Vandy has a likelihood to grow to be bowl-eligible for the primary time since 2018. For a program that was 0-9 two seasons ago and had five wins over the previous three campaigns combined, getting a postseason game is an enormous deal.
Betting on College Football?
Nevertheless it isn’t just the situational spot that makes Vanderbilt a live underdog on this matchup. There are also some stylistic edges that make the Commodores price a glance.
While Tennessee’s offense plays at a lightning pace, Vanderbilt is one in all the slowest-moving units within the country. The Commodores average 28.2 seconds per play, which puts them because the 102nd-fasted offense in college football. Moreover, each of those teams run the ball at an above-average clip, and that will only tick up with Hooker on the sidelines for the Vols.
The clock must be moving on this contest, which is at all times a superb thing once you’re getting this many points.
And that rushing attack plays into Vanderbilt’s strength on defense. While the Commodores struggle defending the pass, they’re above-average on the bottom and will have the option to contend with Tennessee within the trenches for probably the most part. That shall be a key battle with the Vols likely going more rush-heavy considering the quarterback injuries.
Offensively, the Commodores don’t do anything that’s going to leap off the page, but they’re a reasonably decent side at ending drives — they rank 52nd overall in that metric — so you realize they’re relatively dependable at getting points after they get the ball over the opponent’s 40-yard line.
The Tennessee Volunteers showed themselves to be top-of-the-line teams in college football this season, but all of that momentum is now out the window because the Vols are limping toward bowl season. A motivated Vanderbilt side seeking to get to its first bowl game since 2018 is a troublesome matchup, especially once you’re laying this many points.
Back the Commodores at +14 to maintain this thing close and maybe pull the upset on Saturday.